


We'll Burn That Bridge When We Get To It

by Awesome_Sauce432



Series: Molly Lives Y'all [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, But I Won't Change It Because I Put Too Much Effort Into It, Cleric Club, Cultists, Destiny is a Bitch, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Mainly Molly POV, Molly Lives AU, Much Discussion Of Feelings, Shakäste Is Part Of The Mighty Nein, These Assholes Are Gonna Talk About Their Problems If It's The Last Thing I Do, Turns Out Friends Dying In Front Of You Kinda Fucks You Up, Worldbuilding That Slowly Gets Undone By Canon, dubious coping mechanisms, jailbreak, referenced character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-07-14 06:52:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 113,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16035242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesome_Sauce432/pseuds/Awesome_Sauce432
Summary: Molly's alive and reunited with the Mighty Nein, mostly thanks to Shakäste, who'd raised him from the dead (and kept him from dying again). Some things have changed and some things are the same, but Molly is certain that things will be better now that they're all together again. They've gotten past death itself, surely there's nothing else the universe can throw at them.Molly is wrong. Molly is so very, very wrong.





	1. Cuddle Pile

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read part 1 of this series, Nothing But A Note, I recommend you do! It details how Molly and Shakäste managed to reunite with the Mighty Nein, and all the hijinks that occurred along the way. You could probably read this without reading it, but you may not quite get all the references and then it may not be as fun. But I hope you enjoy anyway!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein are reunited and some things aren't quite the same.

“So…” 

 

Jester sat down with a light thud at the table, her eyes trained firmly on the tiefling in front of her, hands held up in front of her like she was praying with her chin resting lightly on the tips of her fingers. 

 

“So…” 

 

Molly copied the pose, a grin quirking on his lips. It was mid-afternoon, sunlight still streaming into the open windows of the Song and Supper Inn, the closest inn to the Evening Nip (which they had been subtly booted out of after some other patrons complained about all the noise they’d been making). They had quickly decided to go make noise somewhere they could slip a few extra gold pieces to the innkeeper to tolerate it, and ended up claiming the largest table in the place before any of the regulars could arrive for their evening drinks. 

 

Jester narrowed her eyes at him, which he returned in kind, eager to see how long she would continue before bursting out with whatever she wanted to say. Yasha was hovering over his shoulder, having not gone further than a foot away from him at any time, with Nott in turn hanging off of her shoulders and already half-drunk. Everyone else had settled more or less comfortably around the table, though even though Molly was currently locked eyes with Jester, he’d have to be blind to miss the glances everyone but Shakäste and Caduceus were giving him. 

 

Finally, the tension seemed too much for Jester to bear.

 

“Tell me  _ everything!”  _ She blurted out, slamming her hands down on the table and launching halfway out of her seat. 

 

Molly grinned, having anticipated this very question. Still, he wasn’t going to just answer it straight away. That wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

 

“Is that some new jewelry?” He asked, nodding at her horns, which were adorned with a mixture of gold and silver chains and rings. He heard a few quickly stifled gasps, and Jester’s mouth dropped open, which wasn’t quite the reaction he’d been hoping for.

 

“Omigosh some of these are yours!” She quickly began fiddling with them, undoing chains and throwing them in his direction. After a few more seconds they were followed by a small purse that rattled with a very small amount of coins and a set of cards that separated from each and fell all over the table and the floor. Beau swore and quickly ducked under the table to pick up the fallen cards, while Molly picked up one that had landed in front of him. 

 

It depicted a sun, stylised but very pretty, with a decorated border. Molly spun the card around in his hand, muscle memory of hours of practise flicking and shuffling with these very same cards settling happily into his mind. Oh.

 

He glanced back at the others, picking up some of the other scattered cards as he did. Jester’s eyes were wide and she was still adjusting the remaining jewelry on her horns, her cheeks flushed. Beau was still under the table but everyone else seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for him to do something. 

 

“Oh.” He wasn’t quite sure what to say. Already half tipsy from the Gentleman’s brilliant alcohol and the euphoria of being reunited, smooth words didn’t come quite so easily as they usually did. Especially when everyone were still looking at him like he was an illusion.

 

A large, pale hand reached down past his arm, picking up one of the chains Jester had thrown across the table.

 

“I’ll attach them for you.” Yasha said quietly, proceeding to do exactly that. Like a spell had been broken, everyone else seemed to relax just a little. Beau reappeared with the remaining cards and handed them to him, and he gathered them all up, spinning and shuffling them with a flourish, smiling before tucking them into a currently empty pocket. 

 

By the time he was done Yasha had attached all the golden chains and rings, a comfortable and clinking presence that he hadn’t realised he’d missed until now.

 

“Soooooo…” Nott began, trailing off before coughing and continuing to speak. “What  _ did  _ happen after… you… ehhhhh…” 

 

Jester’s eyes lit up. “Yes! After you died! What happened?!” 

 

Molly grinned, feeling a bit more comfortable as everyone looked at him expectantly. Of course, he couldn’t resist the temptation to fuck with them just a little bit more. “I died? I thought I’d just taken a very long nap. Underground.”

 

There were a few scoffs around the table, and one very long and drawn out ‘ _ Mollllyyyyyyyy’  _ from Jester, as he chuckled.

 

“Shakäste happened, obviously. Resurrected me like an angel sent from the gods.” Molly said, pretending to swoon in the general direction of Shakäste, who was currently seated in between Caleb and Fjord.

 

“Incorrect. I am a god.” Was his only response, before taking a swig from the mug of ale he was nursing, a smile on his face. Everyone else minus Jester and Caduceus had similar mugs of various kinds of alcohol, with the intention of having plenty more before the sun even went down. 

 

“Yes. So then after that we headed to Zadash and absolutely nothing happening along the way.” 

 

A mug slapped down on the table. “I’m calling bullshit!” Beau called out. “No way you had a completely dramaless trip here.”

 

“I second that. We got attacked by bandits twice on the way here from Shady Creek Run.” Yasha said solemnly, running her fingers through his hair. 

 

“Well, it’s the truth.” Molly shrugged, grinning and not even trying to hide that he was lying out of his ass right now.  

 

“There were no fewer than two jailbreaks and the arson of a Lawmaster’s estate. Among other things.” Shakäste deadpanned. 

 

“I knew it!”

 

Jester and Nott practically squealed, begging for details.

 

“Arson?” Fjord raised one eyebrow. “Seriously?”

 

“Hey, it’s not like you guys have been doing nothing. Taking down a slavery ring? Without me? I”m almost hurt.” Molly pressed a hand to his chest. 

 

There were no less than three pairs of rolled eyes from around the table, followed by a muted cheer as another round of drinks came around, quickly distributed among those who were drinking and didn’t own an endless flask.

 

“Hey, we’ll tell you all about it if you tell us all about what  _ you  _ did.” Beau said, sniffing at her new mug of ale and pouring what remained of the old one into it. 

 

Molly smirked. “Deal.” 

 

The next few hours or so were a blur of increasingly outlandish and inaccurate stories. By the time the sun was down Molly was telling everyone about how he rescued Shakäste from three (or four, or fifteen) ancient red dragons, before going back to back with him to fend off the army of mages Lawmaster Ransford had accumulated. As he described how the pair rode off into the sunset, fireworks and flames burning in the background, Nott countered with a gleeful description of a fearsome yet maternal firbolg named Nila striking down fifty Iron Shepherds where they stood with lightning, before ripping apart stone walls with her bare hands to save her family. By that point, most of them were too drunk to even care about details.

 

“S-she was so beautiful!” Fjord was absolutely smashed, and much to everyone’s delight, had turned out to be the kind of drunk who aggressively complimented everyone and everything. “-and  _ strong  _ and  _ brave _ -” 

 

“Keg was hotter though.” Beau was similarly drunk, sprawled out on her seat with one leg up on the table and the other resting on Caleb’s shoulder. “Hey Molly, Keg and I totally  _ did it _ .”   
  


“I’m so proud.” Molly drawled and cocked his head to the side, having been told this fact in varying levels of explicitness multiple times already. “And amazed you managed to flirt with a girl long enough to get into bed with her.”

 

“Fuck you, I’m super flirty.”

 

“Stop moving.” Yasha mumbled, in the middle of braiding all of Molly’s hair as complicated as she could. At some point he had ended up on her lap but he wasn’t about to complain. 

 

“Keg was so cool too-so strong and brave and strong and her beard was so cool- why can’t I grow a beard?” Fjord was now facedown on the table, his voice muffled but still going strong. “I’d look so good with a beard.”

 

“It’s cause you’re a nerd.” Beau snickered like she’d told the best joke in the world. “Even nerdier than Caaaaaleb”

 

Caleb, his chin resting on the table, squinted in Beau’s direction at the sound of his name. “I doubt that…” 

 

“You would be the  _ most  _ handsome with a beard, Fjord.” Jester took a sip of her drink, having had not a single drop of alcohol but getting caught up in the thrill of it anyway. She waggled her eyebrows. “Of course you’re still handsome now, buuuuut-” 

 

“But I’d be even  _ more  _ handsome. Some guys just look better with beards and stuff.” Fjord drawled, tilting his head to the side so only one side of his face was resting on the table. “Like Shakäste. W-with his little… goatee thing. That looks  _ awesome _ .” 

 

“Yeah, but Shakäste always looks handsome.” Molly said, leaning forward and earning another admonishment from Yasha. “That’s just part of his aura.” 

 

Shakäste himself was mostly content to sit back, sip his drink and watch the spectacle of a mostly drunk Mighty Nein unfold, but here he hummed to himself. 

 

“Yes. That is correct.” He said slowly, as if taking extra time to think things through just to make sure he didn’t say anything that messed up his Vibe. With a capital ‘V’. Even drunk, or at the very least tipsy, Molly was certain that Shakäste would never sacrifice his Vibe. 

 

“Shakäste, you’re like, the coolest.” Nott had at some point migrated from Yasha’s shoulders to a space between Caleb and Caduceus, the latter of whom had brewed a pot of tea without ever leaving his seat, and the former blinking slowly like he was trying to stop himself from falling asleep at any moment. ”I’m so glad you found Molly and not someone else.”

 

“Glad to be of service.” Shakäste raised his mug, smiling wanly. “Travelling with him has certainly been an adventure.”

 

“The adventure ain’t over yet!” Molly announced loudly, much to the disgruntlement of a few nearby patrons. Ah fuck it, they could die, come back to life, and have to travel across half the Empire to reunite with their family and then they could complain. “You’re stuck with us now!”

 

That roused a cheer from many of the other Mighty Nein, along with a few promises that Shakäste wasn’t gonna get away from them until he died. And even then, they’d bring him back and he’d still be there with them. It sounded far less threatening once filtered through the alcohol, Molly was sure.

 

It was five more rounds before the innkeeper subtly implied to Caduceus (the rest of them too smashed or giddy to pay attention) that they were starting to become a bit too disruptive for Molly’s constant tipping to compensate for. Then another two rounds (and three different threats to start a bar fight from Beau  _ and  _ Nott) before the innkeeper gave up on subtlety and told them they were being cut off.

 

“Well, this has been nice, but I think it’s time to head up to our rooms.” He said, looking pointedly at Jester, the only other completely sober person among them. 

 

“Awwwwwwwww, but it’s barely nighttime!” She said, ignoring the empty streets outside the window and stars in the sky.

 

“Actually, it’s…” Caleb paused, squinting at the ceiling.

 

After a few moments of silence, Nott asked, “It’s what?” 

 

“Didn’t I say it?” 

 

“It’s definitely time for some of you to go to sleep.” Shakäste said, standing up. Fjord tried to do the same and promptly tripped over. Molly, now sprawled in Yasha’s arms, hummed to himself at this sight. The very mention of sleep seemed to kickstart his body, exhaustion beginning to take hold and his eyes beginning to grow heavier. 

 

But fuck that, there was so much more he wanted to do. He’d only just gotten his family back he wasn’t going to do such mundane things as go to  _ sleep _ . At the very least, just going off to separate rooms felt so wrong in a way he couldn’t describe.

 

Still, collectively they all managed to haul themselves up the stairs, following Caduceus to the first room before realising they hadn’t actually figured out who was sleeping where. After a few moments of staring dumbly and drunkenly at each other, Molly climbed out of Yasha’s arms, walked into the first room and promptly fell over onto the closest bed.

 

“This is my room.” He tried to say, though how clearly the words came out was difficult to ascertain, since his face was buried in a pillow. 

 

There was silence for a few moment, and eventually he rolled over to see everyone - blinking and squinting and half-dead on their feet - staring at him, biting their lips or otherwise looking like they very much didn’t want to leave. And he didn’t really want them too either. He didn’t want to lose sight of any of them, for at least a little while longer.

 

They’d only been separated for less than a month, but damnit if it didn’t feel like a lifetime. No matter how fun it was to hear for the seventieth time how absolutely murdered the Iron Shepherds were, and to describe the chaos of setting a manor on fire, it would have been a million times more fun if the others had been there. And no amount of stories could really cover up the reason they’d been separated in the first place, even before Molly’s death. What disappearing out of the others sight had cost them. Right now, their family finally fully reunited, no one wanted to linger too far.

 

It took what felt like an eternity for his alcohol-addled brain to come up with a solution, but it was obvious once he’d realised it. 

 

“Sleepover.”

 

It was one word, but it snapped everyone into action. Within a few minutes (maybe more, who knows) there were mattresses, blankets and pillows piled in there from their other rented rooms, and everyone settled on the ground, not at all caring where they ended up as long as they were all together. Molly was somewhere in the middle, his head resting on Yasha’s chest and his legs tangled up with Caleb’s, Nott curled up on top of them with a pillow. 

 

At least half of them were conked out immediately, based on the snores that started up within seconds.

 

For a while the snores and heavy breathing was it, along with the occasional rustle of blankets or clothes.

 

“We missed you Molly.” Jester’s voice whispered from somewhere to his right, where he was pretty sure she was wedged between Yasha and Beau, who was definitely one of the snorers. Jester’s voice was small and filled to the brim with emotion that Molly would usually put down to being a very sad drunk if he hadn’t known that Jester had had nothing but something like half a keg of milk. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to heal you.”

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to murder Lorenzo and save you.” Molly drawled, keeping his voice low just to match Jester’s. “Besides, the universe has to try a lot harder than that to keep me down forever. I got back to you in what? Two weeks?”

 

“Twenty one days.” Caleb’s voice was even quieter, his accent thicker than usual. “I counted, it was twenty one days.”

 

There was silence for a few moments, before Jester spoke again. “That’s like… three weeks.” 

 

“Ja. That is exactly what it is.”

 

“You’re so good at numbers, Caleb.”

 

“Ja.”

  
“Almost as good as we are at not dying.” Molly said, grinning.

 

“You-you literally died though.” Jester began to snicker, and Molly’s grin grew wider. 

 

“Did I? I feel pretty alive right now.” 

 

“You won’t be for long if you keep talking.” Beau’s grumbled voice came from the other side of Jester.

 

“Love you Beau.”

 

“Fuck you.” Ah, he'd missed that.

 

There was more scattered snickering, and a few moments where Molly was sure someone else was going to say something. But no one else did, everyone’s breathing slowly settling or shifting into snoring, time itself seeming to slow and Molly’s eyes struggling to stay open. 

 

There was a lot that had changed, he knew it. Things had shifted in the twenty one days since his death, shifted in ways he couldn’t so much as see but sense. But that was okay. Because he was here, the Mighty Nein was here, and they were all together and alive and they could handle anything now. Maybe it would take some time for things to settle, but they’d get there, and he didn’t have to worry about it. 

 

Instead, he could focus on the killer hangover he was going to have when he woke up tomorrow. But the others would be there to deal with it too, and that’s all that mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cuddle piles are life
> 
> Yeet Yeet Guess Who's Back! It's me, ya gal who accidentally gave herself way too many Molly feels and lowkey accidentally made a universe that bows to him and makes sure he survives. Oops. 
> 
> This won't quite be as plot or story-ish as Nothing But A Note (yet, we'll see how things go, also if you haven't read that it might be a good idea, or you won't get some of the references in this story, and you'll have no idea of the epic roadtrip Molly and Shakäste went on), but more a series of connected one-shots that depict Molly and Shakäste integrating with the New Mighty Nein (now with nine members), hashing out feelings, and vaguely following canon maybe.


	2. Yasha Is The Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly has a talk with his newfound bodyguard.

Yasha was following him. Well, that wasn’t quite accurate. Usually following someone required some distance, some discretion. Yasha was practically stuck to his side and she didn’t care who saw her. She’d drift away to do some quick errand or when they went to bed (Cuddle Piles weren’t quite practical every night, especially since Fjord insisted on cleaning up the mess in the morning) but more often than not if you saw Yasha - and her height meant you always saw Yasha first , Molly was right there with her. 

 

He didn’t mind it, not really. He loved Yasha, he loved having her around, and he’d missed her terribly. But even though his memories were still slightly fractured and incomplete, he was fairly sure she’d never been like this before, not even at the circus. She would hover occasionally, but she was a free woman. Now she almost acted like he was up and drop dead if she left his presence or took her eyes off him for longer than five seconds. 

 

For the first few days after reuniting, the party had remained in Zadash to finish up whatever business they’d been in the middle of when Molly and Shakäste had arrived. After that they were apparently headed to Nicodranas based on some letters or whatever they found in the Iron Shepherds keep (because stolen mail was how they decided all their major quests, apparently).

 

Molly was very excited to head to Nicodranas and the Menagerie Coast, and Jester and Fjord had no issues lampooning his expectations with their lavish stories. Okay, that was mostly Jester, but Fjord refuted very little of it. But his excitement couldn’t distract him from the glances everyone else was sending him as well when they thought he wasn’t looking. Like they still couldn’t believe he was real. 

 

He understood it, he did. It didn’t take a genius to see that his death had spooked them all, no matter how temporary.

 

“There probably isn’t much I can do about it, is there?” Molly asked Shakäste, in a rare moment where it was just the two of them, looking at an antiques store because Molly had spied some trinket that looked particularly appealing. There were chairs and tables precariously stacked and leaving narrow hallways, so Yasha had elected to stay just outside, waiting for them to return. Everyone else had scattered in small groups about the city, staying in contact through regular messages from Caleb or Nott to make sure no one had gotten arrested. 

 

“For the most part, probably not.” Shakäste said. He’d slotted himself quite happily into the group, assuring them all there was little else he enjoyed more than hanging out with them. “We’ve all had a rather trying month, so being a little on edge is understandable.” 

 

“Yeah, but I’m back now. I’m not planning on dying again anytime soon.” Molly picked up a random knick-knack and peered at it critically. “I don’t think Yasha’s ever stayed this long with us without going off to do whatever magical mystical business she does.”

 

Shakäste hmmed. “My boy, you know these people better than I do. If you think there is something to talk about, you can talk to them.” 

 

Molly considered this. Talking things out had served him well when he’d been with Shakäste (no matter how much emotional turmoil had occurred prior to talking it out) but the rest of the Mighty Nein weren’t quite like Shakäste. Talking about things as deep as fear and worries could be like twisting teeth at the best of times, and half of the group would probably sooner volunteer to get stabbed by Lorenzo themselves than openly admit they cared about the rest of them as more than friends or companions; even if they all knew at least tangentially that it was a tad deeper than that. It was a very ‘I’d die for you but I’d never admit it’ kind of feeling, and the Mighty Nein excelled at it, even if it seemed to be slowly degrading as time went on. 

 

Not to mention Molly usually preferred to let people sort through their own problems without him pushing it along. On the other hand, that very approach had nearly fucked him over, so he knew talking to people could have some benefits. Some. Occasionally. Usually when Shakäste was involved, because he knew how to talk about feelings. 

 

“Hmm.” Was all he finally said, placing the knick-knack back on top of the balanced plates it had been resting on and praying nothing fell over as he walked away. “Well, I’m done here.”

 

“I think I saw a music box that caught my eye on the other side of the store. You’re free to wait outside while I take another look. It might take me some time.” Shakäste said blandly in a way that conveyed absolutely no interest in the music box that Molly had certainly never seen in this store, but he nodded anyway, words running through his mind as he stepped outside the store.

 

“Did you buy anything?” Yasha asked, leaning against a doorpost with her arms folded, much like a bodyguard.

 

“Nah. Shakäste’s just taking a look at a music box, he’ll be out soon.” Molly shrugged loosely, taking up a position on the other doorway and looking out at the steady crowd of people that passed by on the street. 

 

The sun was high in the sky, warmth beating down on his face as the busy sounds of a city filled the air. Molly breathed it in, still relishing the sheer thrill that came from being alive and no longer on a stress-filled journey to find his family. He’d never felt so relaxed, even if he still had some worries. 

 

“Okay.” 

 

They fell into silence, which was fairly normal. Yasha was a woman of few words at the best of times, and Molly enjoyed a few minutes of quiet every now and then. It was comfortable and familiar, a different kind of friendship to the endless chatter he’d have with Jester or friendly bickering and insults with Beau, but one he treasured deeply. He cared about all of the Mighty Nein, but especially Yasha.

 

He sighed, an action which in of itself drew Yasha’s attention. “Are you alright?” He asked, tilted his head in her direction. 

 

A glimmer of a frown crossed her face and she looked down at herself, before glancing at Molly. “Yes. Is there something on me?” 

 

Sliding away from where he had been standing, Molly sidled up to Yasha’s side, dropping his voice a view decibels. “Yasha. Babe. Light of my life. Moon to my sun-”

 

She snickered. “What are you talking about?” One corner of Yasha’s mouth quirked up into a smile, and Molly wished he hadn’t decided to talk about serious things. 

 

“You know I love spending time with you, but you’ve been a bit hesitant to walk more than five feet away from me at any given time.” 

 

Yasha’s half smile froze on her face and her face turned away, her body stiffening ever so slightly, but not slightly enough for Molly to miss it. She didn’t say anything, but Molly had figured as much. Time to channel Shakäste. 

 

“I don’t mind it, really, but it’s rather unlike you.” He said, leaning against her side. “I’m okay now. You don’t need to worry about me.”

 

“I’m allowed to worry about whoever I want.” She mumbled.

 

“And I’m allowed to worry about  _ you _ .” Molly countered, pressing the side of his head against her forearm. Part of his horn probably poked into her skin but she didn’t complain, beyond used to him hugging and leaning against her. 

 

“I’m okay.” She said stubbornly. 

 

“Are you?”

 

“Are  _ you?”  _

 

“Yes. I am.” Molly said truthfully. He was more okay than he’d been in a long time. “I have you back, I have the others, I’m still alive. You missed all the fun post-death freak outs, I’m perfectly over it now.” Perfectly over it may have been pushing it, but eh. He was probably mostly over it? That didn’t sound as reassuring, so he stuck to perfectly. 

 

Yasha didn’t respond for a while and Molly almost thought that would be the end of it. If Yasha didn’t want to talk about something, she wouldn’t, and no amount of wheedling would get her to budge. 

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

 

Molly’s ears pricked up, Jester’s apology from a few days ago ringing in his ears. 

 

“Yasha, you were busy being a captive. You’re a goddess, but you’re not a literal  _ goddess. _ ” 

 

Yasha shook her head, her fists clenching. “I was weak.”

 

“I remember you and Jester throwing Fjord like he was a sack of flour once.” Molly deadpanned, frowning lightly. Once again, Yasha shook her head, more insistently this time. 

 

“I wasn’t able to stop the Shepherds from taking us. I couldn’t help Jester and Fjord, and we were taken. I couldn’t help you, and you died. Caleb and Nott and Beau nearly died getting us out, and I couldn’t help them with that. If I had been strong enough, none of this would have happened.” 

 

Molly wished he could be surprised. But somehow, he only felt resigned. Jester had already implied she felt guilt for what had happened. Chances were everyone else did to some degree as well. 

 

Which was complete bullshit. 

 

“Yasha. Look at me.” Molly side-stepped in front of Yasha, reaching his hands up to her shoulders and repeating himself until Yasha looked down at him.

 

“I am Mollymauk Tealeaf, and I do what I want. If I decide to go fight a shit-ton of mages and assholes and get myself killed, that is my gods-given right. The Moonweaver herself wouldn’t be able to stop me. You’re not allowed to blame yourself for me being a dumbass and deciding that saving Beau while I’m already close to death is the best course of action.”

 

“You saved Beau?” 

 

“Yes. And I don’t regret it. But it was still a dumbass decision that no proper person with any sense of self-preservation would make.” Molly said, grinning despite himself. “But it was my dumbass decision. Don’t take that choice away from me, or from the others who stormed in and rescued you, by blaming yourself for getting caught in the first place.”

 

A tiny, almost imperceptible smile crossed Yasha’s face, and she may as well have been grinning from ear to ear. 

 

“You always make dumbass decisions.” 

 

“Very true. But I come back from them eventually. It’s the Mighty Nein way. Run headfirst into bullshit and somehow come out the other side mostly unscathed.” Molly held up a finger like he was dispensing great wisdom. Shakäste would be so proud of him. 

 

“The Mighty Nein way.” Yasha said, incredulity seeping into her voice, her smile widening.

 

“You know it’s true. We’re all just a bunch of idiots. It’s a miracle it took so long for one of us to die.” 

 

Yasha’s sighed, some of the tension seeming to bleed from her shoulders. “I can leave you alone.”

 

“You don’t have to. Like I said, I adore spending time with you. But I want to know that I’ll be free to make countless idiotic decisions in the future without you worrying too much about me.” Without another word, Molly hopped on his toes to press a kiss to Yasha’s cheek, before shuffling back around to her side. 

 

Always with the perfect sense of timing, the door opened at that second and Shakäste emerged empty handed, no music box in sight. 

 

“Well, I had an enlightening discussion with the shop’s owner.” He said neutrally, giving no indication of noticing the far calmer demeanor of Yasha. “Are we ready to join back with the others?”

 

“I think we are.” Molly said, looping one arm around Yasha’s waist and beginning to walk away from the shop. “It’s been awhile since Nott’s messaged us. We’d best make sure they haven’t been arrested.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Molly calling Yasha the moon to his sun is a stroke of genius and I want everyone to appreciate that. 
> 
> Also, welcome to another instance of me squinting at stuff Molly does in my writing and wondering if it still comes off as platonic. There were a few moments that made me pause in the last fic too, but this fic'll probably kick it into high gear. As a general rule in case anyone is on the lookout for ships, if they ain't kissing on the lips or having sex (at least in regards to Molly) it's platonic. I'm also not a huge shipper so this fic'll probably stay pretty gen among the main cast. OC's are fair game and past relationships i may or may not make up for backstories are also possible, but that's about it. 
> 
> Unless I change my mind later on. Who knows. But right now, I have no plans for it. I'm busy trying to reconcile the trainwreck of episode 35 into the canon of this fic. I'd mostly planned to stick alongside canon for a while but nope. Not anymore. I loved the episode but it was too wild.
> 
> So off I am to the google docs doing some frantic plot planning and world-building that will inevitably be undone by canon. Oh well.


	3. Caduceus Chilling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly administers a test.

It was the final day before they planned to head out to Nicodranas. They’d actually planned to stay one more day after, but Jester was practically vibrating with excitement and everyone was mildly concerned she might do something more impulsive than usual if she had to wait any longer. 

 

Still, with most of their business and shopping concluded, they’d decided to simply spend the final day relaxing, whatever that meant. Caleb had managed to rope in Jester to get them into the bookshop at the Tri-spire, which of course meant Nott was going along with them. Beau joined them, claiming she had to help Jester find the perfect book for Caduceus and only waggling her eyebrows suggestively when anyone asked for clarification. 

 

Molly, however, had little interest in a bookshop or whatever probably explicit plans Beau and Jester had. He’d undoubtedly find out about it anyway when they returned, and he wanted a bath damnit. Somewhere along the trip back to Zadash he’d remembered the feeling of a nice bath and now he found himself craving the sensation. So he, Fjord, Yasha, Shakäste and Caduceus hunted down the bathhouse, ordering just about everything the place offered. A private room, getting their clothes cleaned, scented soaps, anything they could think of. 

 

Because he deserved it. And he was paying. 

 

They spent a few blissful hours in their private room. With most of the more rambunctious members of the Mighty Nein terrorising the book shop, it was almost completely silent, with nothing more than an occasional content sigh or someone passing around a particularly nice-smelling bar of soap for everyone to admire. 

 

Molly loved it for those first few hours. Relaxation was very important, and he took it seriously. But he could only relax for so long before he got irrefutably  _ bored _ . Luckily, there were a few potential possibilities for interesting conversation, and he figured this was as good a time as any to try one of them. 

 

“So Caduceus, how did you find yourself mixed up with a group like the Mighty Nein?” He asked, lowering himself into the bath until just his head was poking up out of the water, narrowing his eyes and smiling at Caduceus, who was relaxing on the other side of the pool with his eyes closed. His ears pricked up upon being addressed and one eye squinted open, but otherwise he made no movement. 

 

While still paying most attention to Caduceus, Molly glanced at the others out of the corners of his eyes. Shakäste had no reaction beyond a mild raising of the eyebrows, probably curious to hear the story himself. They had gotten a very quick and abridged version sometime during the drunken story sharing spectacular the first night they’d been reunited, and small details peppered around in conversation since, but that hadn’t revealed much beyond that he lived in a cemetary (or graveyard, the distinction was apparently very important), he drank dead people tea, and his staff could bring out a bunch of magic bugs. Which was all cool as shit, to be fair.

 

Fjord and Yasha didn’t seem particularly disturbed by the line of questioning, though Molly was pretty sure Fjord was half-asleep, and Yasha was hard to read in the best of times. No way to know how much they knew themselves, since Caduceus had apparently come around the group prior to the raid on the Iron Shepherd’s compound. 

  
“Well, it’s less we got mixed up together and more like they stumbled upon my home.” Caduceus said languidly. “My assistance was required and so I gave it.” 

 

Nodding like this gave him far more information than it actually did, Molly continued. “Interesting. So why’d you stick around? I don’t mean to imply anything, I’m just curious.”

 

Here Caduceus opened up both his eyes, glancing up to the ceiling and considering his answer carefully. “Destiny, I suppose. I’d been having visions prior to their arrival, you see, and I believe that travelling with your group will help me fulfill what I’m supposed to do.”

 

Destiny? Molly was pretty sure his destiny was to live wild and die young, except then he decided fuck that destiny and kept coming back to life. He could forge his own destiny, and just let the universe try and stop him.

 

“Which is?”

 

Caduceus shrugged slowly. “Who’s to say?” Hmm. An acceptable answer. 

 

Caduceus was an interesting one, to say the least. Not quite the usual brand of chaos the Mighty Nein seemed to attract like magnets, but nonetheless very unordinary. Molly liked him. At the very least, he’d done nothing to make Molly not like him. 

 

“So, you’ve travelled with us for a while. What do you think?” He asked, tilting his head. 

 

There was a short pause before Caduceus answered. “Rather… eccentric. But then again, I suppose we’ve all got our quirks.” 

 

“Hmm.” Molly wasn’t sure he’d describe the Mighty Nein ‘quirky’, though eccentric was probably apt. “So do you think you’ll stay with us?” 

 

“I don’t have any reason not to.” Caduceus said. “We’ll see where life takes me.” 

 

“It is nice to have another healer around.” Yasha grunted, cracking one eye open from where she was relaxing close to Molly.

 

“Every now and then one of them actually heals.” Fjord, who was apparently not asleep, deadpanned. 

 

Molly snickered into the water, and on his other side, Shakäste cleared his throat.

 

“Healing aside, I’m curious about the nature of your clerical talents.” He said. “What kind of domain do you specialise in?”

 

“Oh, the grave. It’s been my family’s specialty for generations.” Caduceus smiled wanly, while Molly’s ears pricked up. “How about you?”

 

“The storm. I must say, I’ve never met a grave cleric before.” Shakäste said, matching Caduceus’ even tone. If the two of them continued to talk together, it would probably put Molly to sleep. “Though I am curious, what does that entail? Do you specialise in raising from the dead?”

 

“Eh, in a way, I suppose.” Caduceus cocked his head to the side, sliding in deeper to the pool so that the water cover half of his chest. “Back home, most of my job was keeping order. Returning the dead to the earth, making sure the soul was able to properly pass on. Resurrections are…” His voice trailed off, like he wasn’t quite sure how to phrase his thoughts.

 

“I hope you don’t have any particular hang ups on people who’ve been resurrected.” Molly said lightly. 

 

“It’s a bit of a grey area. Usually I prefer to stick to the natural order of things. But if a soul isn’t ready to move on, well, that’s natural enough for me.” Caduceus shrugged, and Molly decided he did like Caduceus. He was calm, he had spent a few weeks with the Mighty Nein without dying or being scared away, and he made excellent tea. An excellent addition to the group. 

 

“Congratulations, Caduceus. You pass the test.” He said, grinning.

 

“A test?” Caduceus squinted in his direction.

 

“Yes. And you’ve passed. I will continue to allow you to travel with us.” Molly nodded his head, knowing Shakäste, Fjord and Yasha were probably rolling their eyes but stubbornly refusing to glance to the side to check. 

 

“You’re not the only one who decides if someone can travel with us.” Fjord said. “It’s a group decision.”

 

As if Fjord hadn’t spoken, Molly continued. “I look forward to the many adventures we will have together.”

 

Caduceus didn’t seemed particularly bothered, another indication to Molly that he’d made the right decision. With Shakäste, they now had double the unflappable aura they’d had before. Before they’d had zero. Less than zero, maybe. “That’s nice.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Caduceus. He's a cool dude. He's gonna have a very fun time in this fic.
> 
> Also, I've realised that writing parallel to canon is really annoying and harder than it sounds sooooo yeah we've got maybe six more chapters before this AU jumps the rails completely. Mostly because I realised that Shakäste is an actual voice of reason within this group and he's gonna make some Not-Quite-So-Dumb Decisions that change things a bit. But we'll see that when we get there. I'll definitely incorporate aspects of canon as it comes up, but yeah.


	4. Quick Breaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly wakes up in the middle of the night.

Caleb’s new hut thing was absolutely brilliant, and Molly couldn’t help but be fascinated by it. The first night on the road when the wizard hadn’t pulled out the silver thread Molly remembered, he’d been curious. When he’d gotten everyone else to stand close together in a group, he’d been even more curious.

 

At first nothing seemed to happen, until he took three steps outside and suddenly found a giant green dome behind him, and then he’d nearly fallen backwards. Shakäste, ever unflappable, had raised his eyebrows slightly, and Nott had gleefully demonstrated how those who had been within the dome when the spell was cast could move through it easily, while anyone else (represented by a rock she found on the ground) found it impassable. 

 

After spending ten minutes throwing rocks at the dome, Molly was satisfied and declared the entire hut thing to be absolutely genius. Caleb’s cheeks had flushed and he mumbled a thanks before burying half his face in his ragged scarf, and declaring he was going to sleep after setting up an Alarm around their horses and cart. Everyone else soon joined him, set up in a loose circle within the dome, heads facing inwards. 

 

Molly was by now an expert at sleeping on the ground (and in the ground, he thought to himself with a grin), and the nice bedrolls they’d bought in Zadash made it even easier. So he had no problems falling asleep, despite the whispers from some of the others.

 

Until he awoke to the sound of shuddering and ragged breathing, the rustling of someone sitting up amongst their blankets. 

 

The last vestiges of sleep escaping before Molly could catch them, he rubbed his eyes, instantly curious and slightly concerned about who was awake, and why. Subtly, Molly rolled over onto his side, facing the direction where he’d heard the breathing, a sharp intake of breath that Molly recognised as the edges of a panic attack from somewhere in his earliest, most fractured memories, long before he’d become a part of the Mighty Nein.

 

In the muted greys of night vision and blurriness of having just woken up, he had to squint and rub his eyes until his vision cleared, revealing Fjord sitting up, his hands rubbing his wrists and her shoulders heaving. The sounds of his breaths, heavy and far too quick to be normal, pounded in Molly’s ears. A quick glance had revealed no one else had woken up, too exhausted from a day of travelling and getting used to being on the road again after a few weeks in Zadash to wake up. Their loose circle was also thoroughly ruined, with Jester somehow sprawled in the middle of the hut, and nearly everyone else curled up close to her. Tiefling body heat, Molly thought distantly to himself, before looking back towards Fjord.

 

He was still breathing heavily, but they were slowing, going through practised motions of breathing in, holding and breathing out in such a way that told to lots of experience at such a thing. His back was currently facing Molly, and eventually his breathing was even enough that if Molly had woken up right at that second rather than a few minutes before, he might have thought that everything was fine and Fjord had simply been jostled awake, or was a light sleeper. 

 

But he knew better, and it sent a pang in his heart. Yasha had begun feeling she was weak for not preventing the kidnapping, Jester was feeling guilty for not being there to heal him when he died, Fjord was having nightmares or panic attacks or whatever it was. It was a disturbing pattern, and Molly wasn’t a fan of how his stupid death had a central role in it. Who knew how Beau, Caleb and Nott were feeling, since they were all irritatingly tight lipped about their emotions and no one else could refute their assurances that they were doing fine except Caduceus, and he didn’t really know them all well enough to say much about it. 

 

Molly didn’t like it, but sometimes it was hard to tell what he could do. When most of the party (including himself), tended to hide their truest emotions behind walls of fake or lesser emotions, or simply avoided any hard questions by starting a fight or punching something, it made deep discussions a bit difficult. Yasha was different, because Yasha was Yasha. He could talk to her about anything, and she’d do the same for him. 

 

Jester he was fairly sure gravitated towards the earlier mentioned emotional walls, in her case by playing up her natural cheeriness even when things were going horrifically wrong. But given the right circumstances, like everyone else being drunk and a very long night after a very good and emotional day, those walls could come down.

 

Fjord though? Molly was pretty sure Fjord didn’t just have walls to hide his true feelings, he had fortresses. He was fairly honest about most things, probably. But the really important secrets? Those were buried deep. Still, even the mightiest fortress could fracture, and if anything could fracture someone, it was being kidnapped by tortorous assholes and then having a friend murdered. Even if that friend returned safe and sound.

 

At the very least, Molly guessed that Fjord was suffering from similar feelings of guilt to Yasha. He should’ve been stronger. Should’ve seen the Iron Shepherd’s coming. Should’ve broken free, or shouted out a warning, or whatever other half-baked ‘should’ve’ his brain could come up with. Molly was beginning to hate the word ‘should’. 

 

As if sensing his eyes on him, Fjord looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Molly in the dark and flinching ridiculously hard. 

 

“Gods-Molly, don’t just stare at someone.” Fjord whispered, rubbing the top of his forearm with one arm. “Your eyes look  _ very  _ creepy in the dark.”

 

“Really? I had no idea.” Molly lied. Once he remembered walking around the circus in the middle of the night, tripping over a rope and waking up one of the twins with the thud. When she’d walked out and seen him, she’d screamed the entire camp down. That had been both scary and hilarious. 

 

“How long were you starin?” Fjord looked at him, and Molly briefly considered lying again. Or perhaps, rather than lying, some Shakäste style deflection and roundabout questions were in order. 

 

“Eh, I don’t know.” Molly shrugged and shuffled to a sitting position, carefully extracting his arm from underneath Jester, who shifted slightly but thankfully didn’t wake up. “Just a little bit.”

 

Fjord opened and closed his mouth a few times, and Molly eventually picked himself up and carefully stepped over sleeping bodies to get to where Fjord was sitting, crouching down in a spare space of Fjord’s bedroll. 

 

“This hut is pretty cool.” Molly pointed upwards, still keeping his voice at a whisper. “I’d like to see the Iron Shepherds get in here.”

 

A pained look crossed Fjord’s face. “Y-yeah. I think that’s why Caleb learnt it.”

 

“Well, that makes sense.” Molly said a bit solemnly, casting a glance at Caleb, who always seemed to be restless in his sleep, but never really woke up until the morning. “Did he learn it right after you beat Lorenzo and all that?” 

 

Fjord, still rubbing his forearm with one hand, shrugged loosely, casting his gaze somewhere behind Molly. “From what he said, it sounded like he started thinking about it pretty soon after Jester, Yasha and I got… indisposed.” 

 

“Hmm.” Molly thought carefully. Fjord’s breathing was even now, but there was exhaustion in his eyes despite whatever amount of sleep he’d managed to get before waking up. If any. 

 

There was a silence, broken only by the soft and rhythmic breathing of their sleeping companions.

 

“What did you guys do on your way back to Zadash?” Molly asked. It seemed an innocent question, and it was one he’d been wondering about. Details from the others about what happened immediately after Lorenzo was killed (besides all the loot they found and how much sex Beau and Keg apparently had and how hot some lady named Ophelia was) were sparse. He knew they’d taken down some bandits, but that was about it. Even for a relatively quiet and uneventful trip, something seemed off. 

 

“Oh, nothing much. We were travelling with Ophelia so we breezed through places pretty quickly. All we had to do was fend off any bandits that wanted to try their luck.” Fjord shrugged again, which was also odd because Fjord wasn’t really a shrugger. He spoke with his words, not really his body, and it was just another thing to add to the list of things that weren’t quite right with the Mighty Nein. 

 

“Sounds fun.” Molly said neutrally. Eh, fuck it, he was done being sneaky. He had no idea how Shakäste always managed to turn the conversation to what he wanted, but Molly had a lot to learn about it. “Did you stop by my grave? It was on the way back, wasn’t it?” 

 

Fjord seemed to choke on air, covering his hand with his mouth to stifle it and clearing his throat a few times, glancing nervously over his shoulder. Luckily, no one else had woken up, and he turned back to Molly, his eyes wide.

 

“Your-” He stumbled over his words for a few second, before his shoulders deflated. “Y-yeah. We did. It was empty. A few days after we beat Lorenzo.” 

 

Molly did some mental math in his head, based on the general timeline of events he knew about. Lorenzo had been beaten only about three or four days after he’d died, and adding a few days on to that made about a week, give or take. Molly knew they’d participated in the Hour of Honour (which he was now pretty sure was just a drinking competition) in Hupperdook just over a week before he’d returned there a second time with Shakäste. 

 

Which meant, around the same time he’d been in Hupperdook or travelling there, the rest of the Mighty Nein discovered his empty grave. They’d missed each other by barely a few days. Maybe even less than a day. To think they’d been that close, at the very beginning. 

 

“Wow.” He wasn’t sure how he’d imagine walking up to the suddenly empty grave of a friend. A friend that you yourself had buried. “You guys must have been thrilled to see an empty hole in the ground.”

 

Fjord winced. “We were… hopeful. Caleb told us about the note he’d written and we were going back to Zadash anyway so we went even faster. Jester and Nott were both worried you’d have lost all your memories again, and you wouldn’t follow the note at all. We were all a bit worried about that, I think, but they were the only ones who said it.” 

 

Molly just smiled, not about to let on that he  _ had  _ considered that, way back in the earliest days of his resurrection. He was so glad he’d nixed that idea, though. “I’m glad to see you have faith in me.”

 

Fjord chuckled. “If anyone was going to come back to life, of course it’d be you.” He sighed. “I’m just glad we saw your grave  _ after  _ you’d been resurrected. Otherwise we might’ve left Zadash sooner.” 

 

“Lucky us.”

 

“Yeah, lucky.” Fjord sighed, his hands lowering and going back to rubbing at his wrists, a repetitive motion that Molly took care not to stare at. “I think we’d all be a lot worse off if we’d thought you were still definitely dead. I don’t think Yasha would have stayed, at the very least.”

 

“Oh?” Molly cast a glance to where Yasha was, lying rimrod straight on her back next to Molly’s currently vacant bedroll. She still stuck close to him far more than she used to before his death, but no longer shadowing him like a bodyguard paid to be on him at every second. She’d even briefly discussed the possibility of the Stormlord requesting her presence for whatever mysterious magicky business she got up to, and didn’t seem to dread the thought of leaving. 

 

“Yeah. She was unconscious for most of the trip, but she woke up when we got to your grave… I think it was a bit overwhelming. Waking up to you not being there, being told you were dead, and then finding out that maybe you weren’t anymore. But she said she wasn’t going to leave until she found out for sure.” Fjord sighed. 

 

“What about you?” Molly tilted his head to the side. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“How did you feel? Knowing that your favourite member of the Mighty Nein had been coldly murdered, only to discover an empty grave?” Molly flicked his hair over his shoulder, striking a loose pose. The dramatics earned a chuckle from Fjord and he considered that a success, even if they faded into seriousness soon after.

 

“I… it feels complicated.” He finally said, looking down at his hands and seeming smaller than he usually did, considering he was the second tallest member of the Mighty Nein by a good inch or two. “I was hopeful that you’d still be alive, but… I feel responsible.”

 

Molly sighed. He’d have to give everyone the ‘I’m a dumbass and I make dumbass decisions like chuck myself in front of a glaive by myself, not your fault.’ speech, wouldn’t he? Still, that particular speech didn’t feel quite appropriate here.

 

“How so?” He said instead.

 

“I know we don’t really have an official leader or anything…” Fjord said, looking slightly incredulous, like he was still debating whether or not talking about this was a good idea.

 

“But you tend to lead the way anyway.” Molly finished his sentence, and Fjord nodded. 

 

“Which means this all happened under my watch.” He said, sighing.

 

Molly frowned, thinking again of the quick, panicked breathing he’d woken up to. 

 

“So what, you’re torturing yourself for it? You’ve already got weird-ass saltwater nightmares, you don’t need to add guilt nightmares onto it.” The grimace Fjord gave him told him he was right on the money, and Molly reached out, slowly placing a hand on Fjord’s shoulder, giving him every opportunity to pull away. No one had told him the details of what happened to those who’d been kidnapped by the Iron Shepherds. But Molly didn’t need all of his memories to remember that Lorenzo wasn’t the ‘throw them in a cage and leave them there’ type. 

 

But Fjord didn’t pull away, allowing Molly to rest his hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing his thumb in a circle. 

 

“Fjord, if you try and blame yourself for everything that happens to this group of impulsive assholes, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack. But if you’re going to go ahead and blame yourself anyway, don’t try and deal with it alone.” There was a muffled groan and rustling of sheets breaking the solemn atmosphere as someone rolled over, and both Molly and Fjord paused, glancing around the hut before focusing back on each other.

 

“My issues aren’t your problems.” Fjord said, shaking his head. Molly quickly copied. 

 

“That’s where you’re wrong, Fjord. Anything that hurts you may eventually come around and hurt me, so you have to deal with my incredibly selfish desire to help you.” 

 

“Selfish, huh?” 

 

“Extremely selfish. You’re stuck with my affection now, so I’m going to support you if it’s the last thing I do, whether you want it or not.” Molly narrowed his eyes and placed his other hand on Fjord’s other shoulder, making sure he had direct eye contact. 

 

A wavering half-smile crossed Fjord’s face. “I had no idea you cared about us so much.” He said it in a joking manner, but there was a serious undertone. Molly responded in much the same way.

 

“I thought about things a lot on  _ my  _ way to Zadash, trying to remember things and whatnot. Shakäste’s very good at getting people to talk about their feelings.” Molly said, smiling.

 

“I think some of it’s rubbed off on you.”

 

“Perhaps.” Molly shrugged, taking one hand and patting Fjord on the cheek. “But I have found that talking about feelings helped me sleep better.” 

 

There was a short pause. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He sounded unconvinced, but it was better than nothing.

 

Molly just flashed Fjord another smile, before standing up and tip-toeing his way back to his bedroll. He considered that a success, all in all. Sure, Fjord hadn’t busted out and gone into great detail about all of his feelings, but he had sort of kind of talked about it, and that was something. 

 

“Good night Fjord.” He half whispered, half sung, as he snuggled back down onto his own bedroll, shuffling a little closer to Yasha. 

 

“Night, Molly.” Was the quiet answer, followed by a question somehow even quieter. “Er, do you remember the Summer’s Dance scimitar?”

 

“The what?” Molly scanned his brain, but couldn’t think of anything besides his regular scimitars.

 

There was a long pause. 

 

“Nevermind.” Well, alright then. 

 

Molly listened to rustling and shuffling for a few minutes, Fjord’s loud breathing slowly evening out to the deep and rhythmic sounds of someone asleep.

 

Smiling to himself, Molly rolled onto his side, closing his eyes and already feeling himself going back to sleep as well. Okay, so everyone was probably a little bit fucked up. He couldn’t blame them for being fucked up. But he could help to fix it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I've got basically this whole thing planned out now. More or less. It'll be fun. Hopefully. We'll see how it goes. Also RIP Fjord.
> 
> Also:
> 
> Matt, Episode 36: There's a map of the Menagerie Coast!  
> Me, with my 6 pages of world building and random menagerie coast city-states and islands i've made up: *sweats nervously*


	5. Bitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly is Dramatic(TM)

Molly sat cross-legged at the top of the hill, his elbows resting on his legs and his face in his hands, an exaggerated pout on his face. Shakäste sat next to him, gently petting Stacy’s feathers. Fjord and Caleb were on the other side of Shakäste, the former sighing exasperatedly every few seconds and the latter stroking Frumpkin with a slight pout of his own, albeit for different reasons. Nott sat on the other side of Molly, frowning down at the bottom of the hill, where the remaining members of their party were.

 

Jester was running around in circles, giggling and laughing and calling out ‘Blink!’ and ‘Home!’ at random intervals while a small puppy chased her around, vanishing into thin air and reappearing close to her, stumbling to the ground before getting up and trying again. Yasha stood steadfast nearby, one arm held out with an owl preening his feathers on it on it, while Beau stood a good twenty feet away, waving her arms and trying to call the owl over to her. She was having little success.

 

Molly scowled at the sight. It was a terrible decision, buying some pets.

 

Even ignoring the possibility that Beau’s new owl would  _ eat  _ Jester’s new weasel (and if he didn’t, Nott would), it was foolish. The Mighty Nein got into dangerous and deadly situations on a nearly daily basis, dragging animals into it was bound to end in disaster for all involved. 

 

Absolutely awful. 

 

They didn’t even know if they’d be able to still cast Caleb’s hut spell with three new creatures to fit inside it. Sure, they could go in the cart, but would they stay there? Especially since Jester’s new dog could  _ teleport _ . 

 

The worst decision possible. 

 

Molly wasn’t bitter or upset for any other reason. Not at all.

 

“Molly, it wouldn’t have fit in the cart.” Shakäste said blandly.

 

“We could have made him fit!” Molly said, scowling even harder. “Somehow.”

 

Fjord sighed. “It wouldn’t have been practical. Even less practical than… those.” He gestured vaguely at the three woman dicking around with their new pets below. 

 

“He was  _ perfect _ .” 

 

“If it makes you feel better, I probably would have eaten it.” Nott said, her gaze trained firmly on the small, barely visible weasel currently wrapped around Jester’s neck far below. Molly estimated the poor thing had about a week to live. The owl and dog maybe a month. 

 

Molly just sighed dramatically, determined to wallow in his disappointment and self-pity for all of eternity. The whole universe would know his sorrow. 

 

“I am glad you were able to restrain yourself.” Caleb muttered, Frumpkin purring loudly and seeming pleased with all the extra attention he was getting at the moment. 

 

Molly sighed again, falling backwards so that he was lying on his back and staring up at the sky, scowling and folding his arms. After a few minutes of silence, Shakäste exhaled, and he had never sounded so exhausted. 

 

“Molly, I know you wanted that peacock-”

  
“I have a peacock  _ tattoo!  _ It was a sign!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this one is pretty short (by far the shortest of all the chapters I've written so far, and I've written up to Chapter 12), but I think it's funnier that way. Originally I was going to do a whole chapter with the pet shop dude and they'd buy the pets yada yada yada, but that felt a bit like retreading canon too much and would've been a pain to get everything right. So I thought about it and decided this was funnier and also better.


	6. H2Woah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the gang has a beach day.

Getting past the gate out of the Empire had been a fun experience. Shakäste had been mildly concerned that Ransford from Felderwin may have put out a warning to not let any purple tieflings and blind old men wandering together leave the Empire, but apparently not, since after some absolute bullshit on the Mighty Nein’s part about being farmers or merchants or something, they were eventually let through, without even being shot at once. 

 

The closer they got to Nicodranas, the more excited Jester became. When the tips of the walls around the city-state first came into view she squealed, pointing them out to all of them multiple times and declaring how much she’d missed the place even more.

 

“-it’s so beautiful! There’s so much to see like the lighthouse and my mama’s house and the streets and the beach-” She was going on, listing all the sights there were to see. However, Molly hadn’t quite heard about a beach before. 

 

“Hang on, beach?” He asked, currently seated in the cart with Nott and Yasha, the latter teaching the former how to braid his hair. “What’s a beach?”

 

Jester fell silent, turning around from where she sat at the front of the car with her mouth wide open and a horrified look on her face.

 

“You don’t know what a beach is?” Beau asked incredulously. 

 

“Maybe you forgot.” Yasha said, tying off one braid with a ribbon and showing it off to Nott. 

 

“We’ve talked about the ocean and the beach before, right?” Fjord looked around at them all, frowning.

 

“Ocean, yes. I remember what an ocean is. Beach, no.” Molly frowned, a bit frustrated that he’d apparently forgotten something very important. 

 

“The beach is where the ocean meets land. Lots of sand, usually.” Shakäste said. “I’ve never seen one myself.” Here Jester gasped again.

 

“Me neither.” Beau said. “I’ve seen drawings of it though.” 

 

“Water? I’ll stay in the cart, thanks.” Nott said, audibly scowling as she continued to wrestle with Molly’s hair. 

 

“Omigosh! We have to show you!” Jester said, standing up in the cart without care for how it unbalanced the thing. “Alright, raise your hands if you haven’t seen the ocean!”

 

After a few moments, everyone but Jester and Fjord had their hands raised. Jester spent the next five minutes raving about how much of a tragedy this was, and how pretty the beach was, and how wonderful the ocean was. So as soon as they got close she took the reins of the horses leading the cart, careening them off to a side road just outside the walls of Nicodranas that apparently led to a beach. 

 

“Ta-dah!” Jester announced as they came over a short, sandy hill, her arms outstretched above her head and Sprinkle the weasel nearly falling off her shoulder from the movement. 

 

The first thing that Molly noticed was an intense salty scent hitting his ears, completely foreign and unmistakable. His already high curiosity hit its peak, and he began fidgeting under Nott, who seemed determined to braid and unbraid one particular clump of hair to avoid getting out of the cart. Yasha had already stopped playing with his hair, silently picking up the goblin and depositing her on the other side of the cart, allowing Molly to scramble out of the cart without wasting another second. 

 

The ground beneath his feet shifted as he made contact, seeming to sink into it. Molly looked down to see the cart had parked just past the edges of the sand and dirt. Jester had already jumped off the cart and had vanished towards the ocean, loud barks following her away. Next to him, Yasha climbed down from the cart and pulled her boots off, spending a few moments wriggling her toes in the sand with a curious expression and small smile on her face.

 

Molly ripped his own boots off, throwing them into the cart and narrowly missing hitting Nott, who was now at the edges of the cart, preparing to get off but vehemently declaring that she was not going into the water. After a moments thought, Molly took his coat off as well, folding it up and placing it at the edge of the cart for later collection. Unlike Nott, he definitely planned on going in the water, and he’d rather have his coat and everything in it dry when he was done. 

 

The sand was coarse beneath his feet, immediately getting between his toes, warm from the heat of a days sun. He grinned, enjoying the new sensation - dirt didn’t quite have the same consistency or enjoyability factor - before walking around the cart to face the ocean.

 

He’d never seen anything like it. Blue, stretching wide as far as he could see in front of him until it met the sky. Boats - things he had only really seen in pictures and as models - dotted the horizon. Water lapped at the shore, coming in before receding and returning again as waves, foam splashing into the wet sand. Beau had already reached the shoreline, leaping from rock to rock that poked up out of the ground and water, reaching the final one and kneeling down, dipping one hand into the water.

 

Jester was running along the sand with Nugget, her teleporting dog, her laughter carried on the breeze as she waved her hands and tried to get Nugget to blink into the ocean and then back again. Fjord walked up to the shoreline and stopped, allowing water to run over his feet and staring out at the sea, hands on his hips. Caduceus walked up to him, prodding at the water with his foot before wading out until the water was up to his knees.

 

“It’s beautiful.” Shakäste appeared from seemingly nowhere, his own feet currently bare and his cloak bundled up in his hands. “My son always wanted to visit the sea someday.” 

 

Molly cast a glance at the old man from the corner of his eye, words catching in his throat. Shakäste’s face was as calm as ever, a smile pulling at his lips and his eyes partly hidden by the wind blowing his hair backwards and forwards.

 

“Perhaps you will be able to take him.” Yasha said, walking up on the other side of Molly. “Now you know where it is.” 

 

“Perhaps.” Shakäste mused, and Molly nearly opened his mouth to say something before closing it, looking back out at the ocean. It was magnificent. 

 

“It’s terrible.” Nott hissed from somewhere behind them, and when they looked over their shoulders, she was standing there with her arms folded, glaring past them at the ocean like it might rise up and attack her. “There’s so much  _ water _ .”

 

“You don’t have to get near it, dear.” Molly said. “Even just the sand is wonderful.”

 

Nott seemed unconvinced, scuffing at the sand and still glaring at the water. 

 

“Would you mind holding my clothes?” Caleb asked, appearing from around the side of the cart. Completely naked except for a pretty-looking necklace that Molly didn’t recognise around his neck. Well. That was unexpected. 

 

Enjoying the view for a moment before glancing back to the ocean, Molly let a grin slip onto his face. “That’s a nice necklace, Caleb. Where’d you get it?” 

 

“Ah, on the road.” Caleb mumbled, his cheeks flushed red. “A few years ago.”

 

“I can hold your clothes Caleb.” Nott said, her voice low and her gaze now firmly on Caleb’s face. “I’ll protect them.”

 

“You may have to.” Shakäste said, pointing upwards to where birds were circling, curious about the group of travellers who had stopped by the beach. “Chances are those birds know that people can mean food.” 

 

Not about to be outdone by Caleb of all people, Molly quickly stripped off all of his clothes as well, leaving absolutely nothing on but the jewelry in his horns. Bundling them into a ball and ignoring the sharp intakes of breath from some of his companions, he ran around to the cart to place them where he’d left his coat.

 

Then he glanced down, catching a glimpse of the jagged, mangled scar burned into the centre of his chest. Dark and rough to the touch in the centre, lighter than the rest of his skin encircling it, half-healed from resurrection magic but unable to be fully erased. Looking down at it, Molly felt a pinprick in his mind, a sharp sensation in his chest just underneath the skin. Oh.

 

Silently, Molly held his clothes in his hands, looking down at the scar and trying to keep his breathing even. After a few moments, he unbundled his clothes, taking his regular white shirt and slipping it on, only now realising it left some of the outer parts of the scar uncovered. Maybe he could sew some of it up, make the neck less low cut. 

 

Leaving the rest of his clothes on the cart with his coat, he rejoined the others, none of whom except Shakäste (though Stacy was definitely peeking) could stop their eyes from flickering towards Molly’s chest, even if just for a moment, before quickly averting their gaze. It was fine. He was over it.

 

Plastering on a smile, Molly clapped Caleb on the shoulder as he passed, the wizard letting out an ‘oof’ and wincing. Molly hadn’t hit him very hard, but he was also pretty sure Caleb would fall over if a leaf dropped on his shoulder.

 

“Well, are we going in the water or not?” He asked, striding down to the shoreline with as much swagger as he could muster and taking great pride at Beau’s loud remarks that he was ruining the ocean view as he got close. 

 

“On the contrary, I think this is a marvellous improvement!” He said, striking a pose as a wave ran over his feet. The water was warm and Molly felt the sand shift beneath him, a giddy giggle bubbling up into his chest. It undermined his pose a little bit, but who cared. He was at the  _ ocean _ . 

 

Beau made a gagging noise, going to ridiculous lengths to project her voice from how far away she was on the rocks. Molly just laughed at her, before more or less throwing himself into the water. Salt water went up his nose, into his mouth and in his eyes, but he didn’t care.

Alright, he cared a bit, because it tasted disgusting and made his eyes burn, but he’d gone through worse. Then he realised he couldn’t actually swim, floundering about in the water like a fish thrown onto land before the waves rather unceremoniously dumped him back onto the sand. 

 

“Are you alright there?” Molly opened his eyes to see Caduceus standing over him, dripping water down onto him. 

 

“Never been better.” Molly said, sitting up and looking back at the ocean. Fjord had gone in the water now, his clothes and armour left in a pile further up the beach, gracefully swimming through the water and more blissful than Molly had ever seen him. Caleb was floating in the water a little further away, his eyes closed and his face turned towards the sky. Yasha and Shakäste were standing together in ankle-deep water, watching the waves come in and out. 

 

“I may stick to the uh… shallowish areas though.” Molly said. Or maybe he just wouldn’t go throwing himself into the water. 

 

Caduceus shrugged, going back into the water and soon joining Fjord in the deeper areas. Molly glanced back behind him, where Jester was still playing with Nugget and Nott was poking at something on the ground with a stick in one hand and Caleb’s clothes bundled in another, watching some birds that had landed close by warily. 

 

So for a while he amused himself by splashing around like a child in the shallows. He engaged in a brief splashing war with Yasha that ended with him getting thrown ten feet and having to frantically dog paddle before the waves brought him back in to shore again, upon which he received very little sympathy from anyone else. 

 

Yasha apologised by allowing him to ride on her back (because apparently everyone else knew how to swim even if they hadn’t seen the ocean before) as they went out to join the others in the deeper parts of the ocean. They snuck up on Caleb and scared the living daylights out of him, before mutually deciding to do the same to Beau, who had chosen a very poor time to meditate on some rocks in the middle of the ocean. 

 

Jester and Nugget eventually joined them in the ocean, the blink dog vanishing before reappearing two feet above the water and plopping down into it and vanishing again. That’s when the splash fight resumed. Yasha won again. 

 

“The ocean is great.” Molly said, resting his chin on Yasha’s shoulder and letting the rest of his body float around freely while he held onto her. He’d swallowed at least three litres of seawater, his nose burned and his vision was blurry but he hardly cared. “They should have it everywhere.” 

 

“We can’t really move the oceans.” Fjord said, squinting in Molly’s general direction. It was darker now, the sun slipping behind the horizon but still casting enough light to see with. 

 

“You can move anything if you try hard enough.”

 

“Not… not really.” 

 

“I’m so glad we came here.” Jester said, looking right at home in the water with Nugget hanging onto her shoulders and Sprinkle looking positively drenched and miserable around her neck. If that weasel didn’t get eaten, Molly was ninety percent sure the thing was going to run away. “I missed the ocean so much.”

 

“Were you ever able to visit with your mother?” Shakäste asked, his hair no longer in its regular afro shape and instead completely limp, draped over his head and face. Somehow he still looked suave. 

 

“No, Mama preferred to stay at home. But sometimes, this bodyguard we have, Blüd, he’d take me! And he’d let me swim and play and build sandcastles and dig huge holes and bury him in the sand.” Jester grinned. “I hope you can meet Blüd, he’s so nice.”

 

“He sounds great.” Beau said, squinting in the near-darkness. “Though I don’t know about the rest of you, but I kind of want to get to shore before I’m completely blind.” 

 

“Agreed.” Caleb said. 

 

After securing the agreement of everyone else, they all returned to shore, Molly pleased when he could touch the ground himself again despite how much he’d enjoyed being in the ocean. They arrived, drenched and exhausted, to find Nott surrounded by dead birds with crossbow bolts sticking out of them and one dead crab in her hands, a crazed expression on her face, Caleb’s clothes bundled under her arms.

 

Molly distantly remembered hearing many squawks a while ago, but hadn’t thought much of it. Hmm. 

 

“Uh… Nott?” Fjord asked, nudging one of the dead birds with his foot. “What happened?”

 

“ _ I won. _ ” Nott said ominously, dropping the dead crab to the ground before handing Caleb his clothes, receiving a quiet ‘Danke’ in response. 

 

Everyone else glanced between each other for a moment, their expressions a mix of confusion, indifference, and a very slight amount of fear for any other animals currently travelling with them.

 

“Well,” Molly said brightly. “At least we don’t have to buy dinner!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanted Molly to fuck around at the beach because i fucking love the beach (that aussie life where i used to live way away from the coast unlike most of the country so the beach was a Very Special Treat Only For When Visiting The Grandparents.)


	7. The Mighty Nein Drinks That Respect Women Juice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author removes the knife she left in canon's back before stabbing it again multiple times just to make sure it's dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, frantically changing my plans and adjusting my worldbuilding after episode 35 (and to a lesser extent with every episode since then): Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.

Jester had told the party many stories about the Ruby of the Sea. Some Molly were fairly certain were exaggerated, some he was  _ definitely  _ certain were exaggerated, but throughout it all, Jester had nothing but praise for her mother. Jester tended to ignore flaws of those she cared about, so Molly was inclined to believe there was at least some vice the woman had. 

 

But upon meeting her, in her very fancy room on the very fancy top floor of the very fancy chateau, Molly was forced to reevaluate that opinion, because Marion Lavorre was, quite simply, a very pleasant (and fancy) woman. She’d been nothing but smiles (bright and genuine, and Molly was an expert at fake smiles) since they’d all arrived, pleased to meet them and not seeming particularly judgemental about the obviously bedraggled and odd company her daughter kept. 

 

Molly spent the first thirty seconds after meeting her and introducing himself debating whether or not Jester would care if he openly flirted with her - because it’s the Ruby of the Sea, how could he not - before Beau made a pass that she probably intended to be subtle, and then all bets were off. So already the night was shaping up to be glorious.

  
The mood went down a little upon discovering that one particularly assholish man in the lobby had been harrassing Marion for some time, and due to his position in the Clovis Concord (which Molly mentally filed away as dumbshit-probably-corrupt-government-number-two), Marion was hesitant to do anything about it due to how it might affect her business or potentially safety.

 

So Molly and the rest of the Mighty Nein, who had no such issues or intense attachment to morality, already had tomorrow’s plan written out now. Once it was silently agreed - despite Marion’s insistence that it would be fine - that they would go wreck Algar’s shit the next day, the conversation ticked over to happier, funnier things.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey Jester, did that djinn guy remind you of your dad?” Molly grinned, referring to the ugly toad-like creature that they had fought for a while earlier that day, as they walked along the docks to where a ship captain Fjord had met earlier was preparing to head off. 

 

They were halfway through their attempt to stop Algar from messing with Jester’s mother, a quest that had led them into the Sluice Weave and straight into a fight with some weirdass water genie guy, at least until Fjord broke the bracelet that allowed Algar to control him. Adding in complicitation in slavery to his already reprehensible crime of harassing Jester’s mother, they all had very little sympathy for him losing his arm in order to get rid of said bracelet. 

 

“Ew, gross.” Jester said, elbowing Molly in the side. It had taken her a good thirty minutes to recover from the revelation regarding her apparent parentage (the Gentleman? Seriously?) the previous night. It had taken Molly about the same amount of time to stop laughing about it. 

 

“We’ve got to get back to Zadash to sort that out. There’s gotta be some spell to check, right?” Molly asked, turning to Caleb, who just silently shook his head, coughing. “Well, shit. Someone needs to make a spell for that.” 

 

“I don’t think that’s how magic works.” Nott said, with barely a scratch on her, compared to most of the others who had taken at least one thorough beating/attempted drowning in the fight. She still seemed a bit more shaken after the fight than she usually was, probably because of all the water. 

 

Molly glanced towards all the currently present magic users in the group, who merely shrugged. They were all there and relatively intact (though Caduceus had had a nasty minute or two with some kind of living water before Shakäste and Yasha were able to pull him out, and Caleb had spent some time unconscious as well), the effects of having three clerics already showing themselves as any injuries were long gone. 

 

“It’s not really an exact science.” Caleb said, his voice a bit more subdued than normal. 

 

“Magic has its rules.” Shakäste said, walking just behind Molly. “It’s the way people gain and use that magic that’s a bit… loose.” 

 

“You can be very creative with some magic.” Caduceus said, his voice the most shaken Molly had heard it since meeting him. Still remarkably calm, but still. He’d undoubtedly had the worst time of it in the Sluice Weave, and probably the worst few minutes of his life, since apparently he’d never left his home before meeting the Mighty Nein. 

 

Molly nodded like he was carefully considering all of this. “So, what I’m hearing is that  _ theoretically _ , a spell could potentially exist that, when applied in the right way, will allow us to know for sure whether the Gentleman - and please stop me if I’m remembering this incorrectly - the crime boss who took our blood before he let us work for him, is Jester’s long-lost father?” 

 

It was Shakäste who finally broke the silence that ensued after that question. “Theoretically, probably.” 

 

“You guys are insane.” Algar, who had been in thoroughly stunned silence for most of their trip to the docks, said. 

 

“We’re the insane people who didn’t kill you.” Molly reminded him. “And we’re the insane people paying for your passage to a new life where perhaps you can make something better of yourself.”

 

“Do you have a family here?” Shakäste asked, and Algar shook his head. Well, that was a little pitiful, but at least it meant there were no possibly distraught family members they may have to deal with in the future. 

 

“Here we are.” Fjord said, shuffling his way to the front of the group and greeting the captain of the ship they were approaching. “Here’s your new crewmate, Jorge.”

 

The captain, an attractive looking middle-aged woman who Fjord had addressed as Captain Adella, looked over Algar with a critical eye. “Can you sail?”

 

Algar made a few vague, noncommittal sounds, before Fjord took over. “If he can’t, he can learn.”

 

It didn’t take long for the deal to be complete, Algar foisted away to his new ship, life and identity. 

 

“That was fun.” Beau said dryly, stretching her arms over her head as they began the trek back to the Lavish Chateau. They were still completely drenched, catching some odd looks, but no one stopped them. They caught odd looks everywhere they went anyway, so no one was very concerned, automatically shifting positions to ensure those currently in most danger of getting arrested on sight (right now, a disguised Jester and an undisguised Nott) were mostly out of view. 

 

“I had no idea you could do shit like that, Fjord.” Molly said, thinking to the ghost specter thing Fjord had raised up, whereupon it scared the daylights out of Caduceus multiple times before he finally dismissed it. 

 

Fjord shrugged, exhaustion from the day seeming to catch up to him. “Couldn’t do it til recently.” 

 

Recently. How recently, Molly wondered. Seemed just about everyone had new abilities, all coincidentally discovered or learned sometime after his death and before his reappearance. Most likely that was all it was, a simple coincidence, but it left Molly feeling a little out of the loop, and he did not like being left out of the loop when it came to fun new tricks and magic ghost powers or whatever else they had. 

 

“It was very… interesting.” Shakäste said, and Molly had a feeling he’d swapped interesting for ‘vaguely disturbing’ at the last second, because Shakäste had certainly not looked interested when they’d rounded the corner to see huge black tentacles, weirdass ghost people, and Fjord chopping off a dudes hand while Beau choked him within an inch of his life. 

 

Beau choking people was fairly normal, Fjord chopping hands was not, even though everyone was more or less in agreement that the person the hand used to be attached to was an asshole who had it coming. None of them had any sympathy for those who enabled slavery, even if Algar wasn’t the one who had planned it out. 

 

“I still think it would have been easier to just kill him.” Caleb said, his feet shuffling along the ground.

 

“It would have been faster.” Yasha pointed out, bringing up the end of the group like she tended to do. 

 

There were shrugs all around, and discussion of Algar - now known as Jorge - was quickly dropped once they got back to the Lavish Chateau. Jester and Beau darted off to retrieve their pets, who Shakäste had insisted remain in the Chateau rather than come along to their underwater adventure in the Sluice Weave. Probably a wise decision. 

 

They spent the rest of the day resting, happily telling Jester’s mother that they’d taken care of the Algar problem without going into any details at all about  _ how,  _ and trying to come up with a plan on how to deal with Marius DePaul, who was one of the people who apparently knew something about whatever rock Fjord had consumed so long ago. 

 

After much discussion, they finally settled on a foolproof plan - talk to the guy - and set off in the evening to where he was supposedly going to be, confident that things were going to go great. 

 

* * *

 

 

“This is going great!” Molly called out cheerfully, ducking behind a box as crossbow bolts sailed over his head. Flames crackled on the ship behind him, licking dangerously close to the furled up sails. 

 

They had been here for what, two minutes? And already the ship was on fire, Fjord had made a ridiculously loud thunder sound on a stealth mission, Caduceus had vanished to who knows where, and they had yet to say a single word to Marius. It was, overall, a wonderfully Mighty Nein evening. 

 

On the other side of the dock, pressed up against some boxes herself, Beau gave him a withering look, before looking out from her hiding place. Molly copied, just in time to see Marius booking it towards the ship.

 

Cursing, Beau got up and began to ran towards him, her quarterstaff already in her hands and far more focused on Marius in front of her than the crossbow wielding sailors on the boat who now had a very good shot at her. 

 

Rolling his eyes, Molly got up from his hiding place at the same time, seeing Marius scramble up the gang-plank and trip onto the deck of the ship, Beau already looking set to follow him. Well, looks like they’re rushing the boat full of enemies, now. They’d already set it on fire, they might as well. 

 

He glanced over his shoulder as he followed Beau, just to check where everyone else was. Yasha was close behind him, having been on the docks already and apparently having the same idea as Molly. Nott he was sure was somewhere close to the docks as well, but currently hidden from view. Caleb and Jester were together, their heads poking out from behind a stack of barrels with spells ready to fly. Shakäste was racing towards the dock, his billowing white hair a beacon in the general darkness of the night.

 

The only ones he couldn’t see were Caduceus and Fjord, but they’d more or less vanished from the battlefield pretty quickly. Fjord he was pretty sure was still somewhere around to the left of the ship, based on the spells that were coming from that direction, and Caduceus may have just turned invisible. If he had, then he’d probably be alright. 

 

Besides, Molly had little time to worry about Caduceus at the moment, since Beau had leapt onto the deck of the ship and had already punted one sailor off the side of it, taking a crossbow to the shoulder from another for her troubles. Marius was screeching and shrieking like a dying cat, being absolutely useless to everyone as Molly followed the monk, slicing at the one who’d shot her with his iced-up scimitars.

 

“Approach!” Molly heard Shakäste’s voice call out, but had no idea why, as the sailor he was fighting darted back and frantically tried to shoot him point-blank. Another fireball or burning hands or something sailed over Molly’s head, this time definitely catching the sails on fire and forcing everyone on board to duck and cover from the burning fabric and splintered pieces of wood as the mast quickly succumbed to the flames. 

 

Molly dove out of the way of some smoldering wood, rolling onto his back and watching Marius now run back off the ship again, towards Shakäste, whereupon Yasha promptly picked him up and slung him over her shoulders with a death grip. Well, that was one problem solved. 

 

Further back from the docks, more voices were beginning to join the fray, flashes of armour and spears glinting in the firelight. Guards. Shit. 

 

“Molly! Beau!” Shakäste called out, already backing away from the quickly dying ship. “We need to go!” 

 

Molly scrambled to his feet, running past the panicking sailors and grabbing Beau, dragging her back towards the gangplank and racing back towards the others, who were already taking off in the opposite direction the guards were coming from. 

 

Meeting up more or less with Jester and Caleb, they bolted down alleyway after alleyway, Nott shooting off messages to Fjord and Caduceus to try and figure out where they were. Caduceus apparently had turned invisible, making it safely past the guards and disguising himself, while Fjord had jumped into the ocean and was trying to sneak past them. 

 

They all met up again behind the Lavish Chateau, a fearful Marius dragged along with them.

 

“Wow, you look like shit.” Nott said once they saw Fjord, drenched for the second time that day and covered in crossbow wounds and signs of magical damage. He looked absolutely  _ wrecked _ . 

 

Fjord just sighed, wordlessly accepting a cup of tea from a not-quite-as-injured but obviously not having the best time Caduceus. 

 

“Please tell me one of you two has healing spells left.” He said, squinting at Jester and Shakäste. 

 

After a quick bout of doling out all the healing spells the clerics had left - turns out fighting two battles in one day wasn’t the best idea - Fjord was left in slightly better shape but no less exhausted looking. Everyone else was left to deal with their injuries the non-magical way, wrapping them up in bandages to deal with in the morning. 

 

“That could have gone better.” Caleb mumbled, leaning against the wall of the alleyway. 

 

“Are-are you guys gonna kill me?” Marius asked, still being restrained by Yasha, who barely seemed to be breaking a sweat. 

 

“Kill you? Dude, we only wanted to talk to you.” Beau said, folding her arms and trying to hide a pain-induced grimace. “Those sailors are the ones who started firing.” 

 

“Talk? Talk about what?” 

 

“This.” Fjord put his arm behind his back for a moment, before pulling it back out with the same creepy eye-rock thing he’d shoved into his chest. Molly was  _ fairly  _ certain that one couldn’t just take it out of Fjord’s chest again, which meant this had to be an illusion. Marius, at the very least, was instantly fooled, beginning to sputter.

 

“W-where did you get that?” 

 

“None of your concern.” Molly said, spinning one of his scimitars. “We’re the ones asking questions here.” 

 

Marius eyed the scimitars warily, before glancing at everyone else, the gears visibly clicking inside his brain. 

 

It took them three minutes of questioning to determine that he knew absolutely nothing they didn’t already know. Which was wonderful, but also completely typical. They let Marius go with a mutual agreement not to discuss any of this with the zolezzo, who were probably busy dealing with the burning ship full of criminals they’d left behind at the wharf. 

 

“Once again, that could have gone better.” Caleb said dryly once Marius was long gone, the group dragging themselves back into the Lavish Chateau to get some much-needed rest.

 

“It could have gone  _ so  _ much better.” Nott said.

 

“So can most things.” Caduceus said blandly. 

 

“Hey, we’ve still got the lead on that pirate dude, right?” Molly pointed out. “Cadmis or whatever his name was.” 

 

“Cadmus Leyland, yeah.” Fjord said, groaning as they approached their rooms. “We can… investigate that sometime we’re not all dying.”

 

“Good idea.” Was the general agreement, everyone splitting off to their respective rooms. Beau and Jester still shared like usual and Caduceus and Yasha had paired up for unknown reasons. Before, Molly had always roomed with Fjord, but since his return, his place had seemingly been taken by Caleb, which worked out well because he enjoyed rooming with Shakäste anyway. Nott bounced between Beau and Jester and Caleb depending on how she felt or whichever room was closest to the stairs, but somehow it all worked out. 

 

Molly all but collapsed on his bed, the excitement and exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him in one big rush. 

 

“Life was never this exciting before I met you.” Shakäste said, tiredness clear in his voice. Molly poked his head up, squinting Shakäste’s direction. The man was sitting on his bed, unclasping his cloak and folding it up. 

 

Molly grinned. “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts about sticking with us.” He said, a bit uncertain about what he would do if Shakäste said yes. However, he didn’t have to worry about it, as the old man shook his head.

 

“Oh, no. You need me.” He said bluntly, before his face softened, and Molly couldn’t even begin to guess what he was thinking, like usual. “However, in the future, perhaps we can try to limit the near-death experiences to once per day.”

 

“That sounds reasonable.” Molly said neutrally, fully aware that wherever ‘reasonable’ was, the Mighty Nein was far, far away from it. “Besides, things could have been worse. We could have stolen the boat or something in a blind panic.”

 

Shakäste barked out a short laugh. “Fjord is the only one who knows how to sail a boat, I doubt we’d ever be able to get it off the dock.” 

 

“Nothing’s impossible, Shakäste. We’d probably have been able to do it if the sails hadn’t caught on fire.” 

 

“Gods, stealing a boat would end very poorly for all of us.” 

 

Molly’s grin widened, and he rolled over onto his back. “There, see? Aren’t you now glad about how things actually turned out?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah episode 35. Episode 35. What a nightmare you turned out to be for my planning of this fic. Writing out this chapter was a bit hectic for me, mostly because it was a crash course in how much I now hate writing parallel to canon. So yeah no pirate AU here. I rewrote this chapter like three times and I don't want to have to worry about future canon episodes fucking up my plans anymore than they already have. I've got foreshadowing set up here! I ain't wasting that! 
> 
> So if this chapter feels a bit clunky, it's because it ended up being me desperately trying to reconcile episode 35 into my story, getting past it while pointing out some important things that changed from canon. The big one being they don't steal a boat. If you take anything from this chapter, they didn't steal a boat.
> 
> So yeah, from here on out we're in full AU territory more than we already were. I hope y'all ain't too disappointed by the lack of Pirate AU, but I have lots of other things planned that will be very fun to me at least, we'll see how you guys enjoy it.
> 
> (Also for everyone who read Nothing But A Note i have some sad news, Stephano's fucking dead (not within this universe just in my campaign she got one-shotted by a white dragon so) and I'm sad but like I also knew it was gonna happen, i nearly died like three times before it happened in that session and she's only got 22 fucking hitpoints so)


	8. Clerical Chaos: The Commencement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the clerics have a day out on the town.

“So it’s all decided then?” Fjord said, glancing around the table at everyone, receiving nods of affirmation all around. “Alright, then.” 

 

The party were currently sitting in the lobby of the Lavish Chateau, still exhausted from the previous night’s chaos, but more or less ready to face the new day. Thankfully, they were not planning on getting into anymore fights today (though, Shakäste thought to himself, they rarely planned to get into fights anyway). Instead, today was strictly for intelligence gathering and stocking up for when they would most likely have to leave.

 

“Okay, does anyone have anything they want us to get from the markets?” Jester asked, her sketchbook pulled out with a list of supplies already written down on it. 

 

“Paper and ink.” Caleb said. Splitting up into separate groups to accomplish all they were planning on had been an interesting discussion, but one they all eventually decided was for the best. Better to keep a low profile, and as a group of nine as colourful as they were, keeping a low profile was difficult without splitting up.

 

Jester tapped at her list, smiling. “Already got that down.” It didn’t take her long to collect a short list of requests and money from everyone who wouldn’t be going to the markets - everyone but Jester, Caduceus and Shakäste himself. 

 

“We’d better get going.” Molly said, standing up and stretching out his arms. He, along with Yasha and Nott, were supposed to sneak around where Algar’s office had been and the zolezzo’s headquarters, just to try and scope out whether their frame up job had gone well. And also to make sure Marius didn’t try to snitch on them. 

 

“Good luck.” Fjord said. He, Beau and Caleb arguably had the hardest job, going down to the docks to try and wheedle information about Cadmus Leyland, Avantica and whoever else they could think of from the sailors and workers down there. All things considered, Shakäste was looking forward to a hopefully relaxing shopping trip. 

 

Both Jester and Caduceus cast disguise spells on themselves, becoming a brown-skinned, black haired human and a pale blonde half-elf respectively. They left the Lavish Chateau and found direction to the closest marketplace, slipping easily into a hastily concocted cover story of an elderly man, his niece and her boyfriend, looking for supplies for their road trip along the Menagerie Coast. 

 

“This is going to be so fun!” Jester said as they weaved through the bustling streets, one arm linked through Shakäste’s as he pretended to be actually completely blind. “We’re like a cleric club!”

 

“Indeed.” Shakäste said, smiling at her exuberance, even if they were just going shopping together. “Hopefully it will be less chaotic than yesterday.”

 

“Hopefully.” Caduceus mused, his voice relatively calm but tinged with exhaustion. 

 

“Hey, the docks weren’t so bad.” Jester said, frowning a little before brightening up. “Look, there’s a bookstore! We can get all of Caleb’s wizardy things.” 

 

She quickly pulled them along to the bookstore, saying a hello to the owner of the store before promptly dropping Shakäste’s arm, pressing the shopping list into Caduceus’ chest and saying she needed to have a look around, winking mischievously before she went. 

 

Shakäste decided to pretend she wasn’t doing whatever she was doing, linking arms with Caduceus instead. He liked the firbolg a lot, a rather calm presence among some of the more flamboyant Mighty Nein. A bit ignorant or naive about some things, but comfortable in his ignorance and willing to learn. It was a relaxing change from all the ignorant people in the world who would kill before admitting they were ignorant about something. 

 

“What can I do you fine folks for?” The smiling shop owner asked. 

 

“Just…” Caduceus squinted down at the shopping list Jester had given him. “Twenty golds worth of paper and ink. For wizarding things.”

 

“Twenty gold worth of paper and ink? I can certainly do that for you, just give me a few minutes.” The man gave them a bright smile before disappearing into a back room. 

 

Shakäste glanced at Caduceus out of Stacy’s eyes, finding he was currently focused on counting out the coins Caleb had given him for this purchase. He moved on to looking for Jester, sending Stacy up into the air to check on her. 

 

She wasn’t difficult to find, a determined look on her face as she pulled out books from their places and placed them back in random locations, shifted around ink stands and rearranged a display of quills so that they vaguely looked like the outline of a dick. 

 

Satisfied that she was doing just fine, Shakäste called Stacy back to return to his shoulder, just in time for the shop owner to return with reams of paper and ink, and a small quill resting on top. 

 

“There we go. I included an extra quill for buying in bulk. Twenty gold, please.” The shop owner placed the goods down on the counter with a thud. 

 

“Thank you, that’s very kind.” Shakäste smiled warmly as Caduceus paid the shop owner. Jester appeared before them, smiling innocently and shoving the paper, ink and quill into her haversack. 

 

“Alright thank you for helping us byeeeeeeee!” She said, taking both Shakäste and Caduceus by the arm and leading them out of the bookstore. 

 

“Do you do that often?” Shakäste asked, one eyebrow raised. 

 

“What do you meeeeaaaan?” Jester grinned widely, and she couldn’t look more guilty if she tried. Still, he couldn’t help but smile. It was harmless, he supposed. A bit of extra work for the shop owner, but ultimately harmless. “Anyway look! Over there, it’s a tea shop!”

 

“Tea shop?” Caduceus noticeably pricked up, and Shakäste was intrigued as well, despite being vaguely aware that Jester was probably just trying to distract them from her shenanigans. He wasn’t inclined to pursue it any further anyway, but he let her believe she had been successful.

 

There was indeed a tea shop, small but obviously well-loved, the scents of lillies, mint and a hundred other things drafting outwards onto the street and mingling into the oceanside air. Different plants and herbs hung from baskets attached to the roof and awning of the shop, and incense sticks burned at strategic places within the shop for the best mixing of smells and coverage. 

 

A wrinkled old lady, with brown and grey-streaked hair and a massive multi-coloured shawl draped over her shoulders, glanced up as they entered the shop, breathing in the scents. “Ah, welcome, welcome to Lady Pim’s Tea, Incense and Knick-Knacks Shop!” She said, placing down some knitting underneath a counter and smiling broadly at them, a few teeth missing from her grin. 

 

All three of them smiled back, probably each interested in a different thing from the title of that shop. Jester, of course, spoke up first. 

 

“What kind of knick-knacks? Pretty ones?” She asked, bouncing up to the counter. The woman, who was presumably Lady Pim, nodded twice before coming around the counter. She was shorter than she had originally appeared, coming up just to Jester’s elbow and wearing a dress just as colourful as her shawl. Molly would probably be thrilled to meet her.

 

“Follow me, I have lots of little trinkets from all over Wildemount. Anything in particular you’re looking for?” Lady Pim asked. Jester shrugged in return but insisted on having a look at everything anyway. “What about you two? Anything I can help you with?”

 

“I’d be highly interested in the kinds of tea you sell, I’m running a bit low.” Caduceus said, more animated than Shakäste had seen him, but only by a little. Even excited, it seemed he was still quite serene.

 

Lady Pim’s smile grew. “Oh, of course! I’ve got tea for anything you can imagine! Sickness, health, luck, healing, Lady Pim has it all!” 

 

Caduceus smiled lightly. “That’s very nice. Do you have any valerian root tea? Or passionflower, or kava?” 

 

Shakäste had never heard of kava tea, or passionflower. Most likely they were quite exotic, but valerian tea was not. It wasn’t particularly popular throughout the Empire, but it was known as a sleeping aid, to help with insomnia or alleviating some symptoms of anxiety. Chances were, passionflower or kava did something similar. Through Stacy’s eyes, he could see Caduceus glancing at him, but both of them were careful to keep his face neutral. 

 

Lady Pim paused for a moment, her eyebrows knitting together. “I see… yes, I have all of those. I’ll fetch some for you.” She shot them another smile before heading to the back of the shop, rummaging through boxes and plants. 

 

Seeing Jester was still distracted by the shelves of knick-knacks on the other side of the shop - that she may have also been rearranging into various swear words - Shakäste glanced up at Caduceus, catching the currently disguised firbolg’s eye. 

 

“Are those your favourite kinds of tea?” He asked innocently, not about to tip his hand just yet. There were many reasons why Caduceus might want those kinds of tea, beyond what they were commonly known for. 

 

“Not quite. My favourite tea is made from the plants and flowers at home.” Caduceus said. “But I’ve only got a very small amount of that left.”

 

“Ah, yes. The dead people tea I was told about?” Shakäste asked, a corner of his lips quirking into a smile. 

 

“It’s not really made out of dead people. Just the plants that grow on their graves.” Caduceus shook his head lightly, but he didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. He didn’t seem particularly bothered by much of anything, which was another reason why asking for tea known to soothe anxiety was curious. Especially considering yesterday. Caduceus had had the roughest time against the djinn, and he wasn’t anywhere near as used to near-death experiences and fights as the rest of the Nein. 

 

“How interesting. Do they have any special properties?” Shakäste asked, taking a step to the left to inspect some sticks of incense propped up on a bench. 

 

“Not beyond what the type of plants they’re made of usually provide.” Caduceus shrugged likely, his shoulders relaxed and his eyes half-lidded. 

 

“Ah, so if you planted valerian root over someone who had had insomnia, the tea would still help cure it?” Shakäste kept his voice even, not facing his head towards Caduceus but making sure Stacy was. 

 

The firbolg didn’t quite react - Shakäste distantly thought about how easy Molly’s emotions had been to read once his guard dropped low enough and sighed inwardly - though his eyes lifted open slightly, creased forming in his forehead and glancing towards the back of the shop where Lady Pim had disappeared to. 

 

“Yes. It probably would.” Caduceus finally said, a trace of… something in his voice. Nothing intense, or even irritated. But something slightly different to the usual smooth, almost monotonous tone that Caduceus upheld at almost all times. Something uncertain.

 

Lady Pim returned with samples of all three teas Caduceus had mentioned, happily detailing their quality, where she’d sourced them from, and their price. Shakäste decided to leave Caduceus to decide on his purchase, walking over to Jester.

 

She perked up as he approached, the knick-knacks on the shelf now proudly arranged so that they spelled out ‘DICK’. It was actually impressive. Jester pulled two matching small glass blown figures out from the top of the ‘I’, pressing them up close to Shakäste’s face. They were a beautiful ruby red colour, cut in such a way that it probably sparkled in the sunlight, depicting an attractive woman with voluminous hair, one hand on her chest while the other was outstretched, her mouth open wide. 

 

“Look at this! It’s the Ruby of the Sea!” She announced loudly, before dropping her voice and whispering, grinning the whole time. “My mom.” 

 

“It’s lovely.” Shakäste said. “Are you going to buy them both?” 

 

Jester nodded, turning the glass figures over in her hands and smiling fondly. “I’ll give one to her and then I can keep the other. That is such a cool present, don’t you think?” 

 

“It is, I’m sure she’ll love it.” Based on how Shakäste had seen Marion interact with her daughter, he was pretty sure Jester could give her a piece of old fabric and Marion would be grateful simply since it came from her. “It’s very thoughtful.”

 

“I know, I’m very thoughtful.” Jester said a bit absentmindedly, nodding very slightly as if she had to reaffirm the fact, still smiling down at the figures in her hands like Shakäste wasn’t there. Then the moment passed, and she flicked her head up, her smile widening into the grin she liked to hold. “There, Caduceus is all done, I’m going to buy these!” 

 

Then she was gone, bouncing away to where Caduceus was handed off the last few coins for his tea to Lady Pim, seeming satisfied at his purchase. Shakäste remained standing where he was for a few moments, carefully filing away these interactions away in his brain.

 

Jester finished her purchase, joining Caduceus at the front of the shop and showing him her new glass figurines of her mother with a wide smile and a mirthful voice. Caduceus listened politely, talking about his new tea when Jester asked about it, a small smile of his own on his face.

 

“And is there anything you would like today, sir?” Lady Pim walked up to him, a satisfied smile on her face from two successful sales and the hope of one more. 

 

Shakäste glanced past her for a moment, still keeping an eye on the two other clerics of the Mighty Nein. Perhaps there was something to talk about, perhaps not. He wasn’t about to claim he knew them well enough to know for sure. 

 

He looked back down at Lady Pim, who looked ready to launch into an exuberant explanation of the value of her wares. “I’d love to see some more of this incense.” 

 

“Of course, of course! I’ve got all the incense you could need!” 

 

“Wonderful.” Shakäste said, smiling. 

 

Perhaps there was something to talk about. Perhaps not. He’d keep an eye on them all the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV Change!!! Oops. Look I love all the clerics and there's three of them now so I just HAD to get them out doing something together. So they're going shopping! Also I wanted to experiment with switching POV to someone else, simply because it's a bit unrealistic that all the fun interesting and character development stuff is always gonna happen while Molly is around. Since the whole Mighty Nein is here now instead of just Shakäste and Molly, I want to branch out. I'm not sure if everyone will have at least one POV chapter to themselves (Molly is still probably gonna be the default) but Shakäste at the very least has a couple more chapters already written, and there are a few others I'm planning that will have the POV of some of the others. 
> 
> So the next couple of chapters will follow Shakäste and the Clerics going shopping! Yay!


	9. Clerical Chaos: The Complication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things can never stay calm for long.

“Jester.” 

 

“Hmm?” 

 

“Do you know how this happened?” 

 

Jester turned her head slightly towards Shakäste, an innocent smile that was far too innocent on her face. “No, I’m pretty sure it was already like this when we got here.”

 

“This store owner made all these clothes with the symbol of the Traveller already painted on them?” Shakäste gestured vaguely to the row of tunics in front of him. “In bright pink?”

 

“I guess so. Crazy, right?” 

 

Shakäste raised one eyebrow at her, something he had been doing a lot recently. “Almost as crazy as how those exploding beans somehow ended up in your pocket even though I suggested they were unnecessary.”

 

“Yeah. Crazy.”  

 

“We’d best get going before he returns.” Caduceus said mildly, standing on the other side of Shakäste. Boy were they lucky the shop owner was assisting another customer right now on the other side of the store.

 

“Agreed.” 

 

As one, they turned around and left the clothing store, blending back into the crowd in the markets and walking slightly faster than usual to make sure they were far enough away before the owner returned. 

 

“We’ve nearly got everything we need. Only some more food and maybe some potions, and then we’ll be done. Oh, Nott asked for some rats.” Caduceus said, looking down at the shopping list. He paused, squinting. “And so did Yasha. And Beau. Though she specified it’s for the owl.” 

 

“We’d better find some rats then.” Shakäste mused, though he wasn’t sure exactly where they’d find rats. A pet store, perhaps? He’d seen enough locals walking around with animals, dogs following at their heels, ferrets wrapped around their necks, birds perched on their shoulders, to figure there had to be something of the sort around. Jester had been delighted, taking the opportunity to show off Sprinkle - who seemed content for once, Nugget had been left with her mother - to anyone who seemed interested. Many a young child had been enchanted by the creature, and Shakäste got the sense that usually people didn’t allow others to touch their pets. 

 

Sure enough, it didn’t take them long to track down a pet store, one that stocked rats for the purposes of feeding to larger and more carnivorous pets. The three clerics decided not to tell the shopkeeper that only one third of the fourteen rats they were buying would be going to an actual animal. Less than that actually. Nott had requested a lot of rats. 

 

Giving them an odd look, the shopkeeper fetched them fourteen rats anyway, which then led to a fun debate on whether they could put them in the haversack or not (“I don’t think you can put living creatures in there without them dying.” “Well, they’re going to die anyway.”) before they finally just shoved them in there and hoped for the best.

 

Of course, Jester couldn’t resist the opportunity to play with some of the other pets on offer (and probably dick around with the displays while everyone’s back was turned) so Caduceus and Shakäste found themselves waiting outside the store for her to finish playing with a litter of kittens alongside about five young children, whose parents seemed to consider the store free babysitting. 

 

Shakäste kept a close eye on some zolezzo standing near a corner of the markets, leaning against a pole and chatting amicably to one another. They were fairly certain the guards from last night hadn’t seen them, since they’d all been running and it was dark anyway, but they couldn’t be certain. Jester and Caduceus would be fine, but Shakäste had no disguise spells, so it was always best to be careful. 

 

Hopefully the others jobs were going well. Fjord, Beau and Caleb would be fine as long as they didn’t ask the wrong questions of the wrong people, but Yasha, Molly and Nott could easily find themselves in trouble if they weren’t careful with their sneaking around. Shakäste was thankful that all he really had to worry about was the zolezzo, and even then, as long as he kept his head down he didn’t really have to worry about that.

 

“Hey!” An angry voice called from within the store, and Shakäste silently cursed his hubris. He should have remembered that chaos still followed the Mighty Nein, even if Molly wasn’t currently present.

 

In the next second Jester, hurriedly closing her paint kit and stuffing it into her haversack, ran inbetween Shakäste and Caduceus, grabbing them both by the arm and dragging them into the crowd. “Gotcaughtletsgo!” 

 

Shakäste got Stacy to turn around on the top of his head, just in time to see a very angry shop keeper burst out of his store, shaking his fist at them and shouting. Behind him, the zolezzo who had been leaning against the pole were already moving, one jogging up to the shopkeeper while the other seemed to have already seen Jester’s hurried exit, calling out for them to stop. Uh oh.

 

Time for a very quick plan. Stacy flew around frantically, Shakäste trusting Jester not to let him trip as they ran while he focused on getting a decent view of their surroundings. People were looking around curiously, some pointing in their direction while others just tried to get out of the way. Most of the alleyways Shakäste saw seemed to lead only to dead ends, others back into the same street they started in, one with a fence they  _ might  _ be able to climb…

 

Well, beggars can’t be choosers.

 

“This way!” Focusing back on his own body, Shakäste steered all three of them down towards the alleyway he saw. If they could get out of sight of the zolezzo, just for a moment, they had a likely chance of getting out of this easily. 

 

They made a sharp turn into the alleyway, running a good few feet down it before slowing down, taking the brief chance to catch their breath. It was lucky they were able to fit all their shopping into the haversack, otherwise they’d probably have to dump it all. 

 

“Over the fence!” Shakäste pointed to the fence, a good seven feet tall. As they ran up to it, Caduceus dropped his disguise, returning to his regular height, just ever so slightly taller than the fence. Once they got up to it, they glanced at each other, each mentally figuring out the fastest way to get all three of them over the top. 

 

“Probably best if you go first, Shakäste.” Caduceus said, a bit faster than usual and looking slightly ill from the sudden running. Shakäste nodded, as both Caduceus and Jester linking their hands together to act as a foothold, Caduceus giving them the height and Jester giving the power. Together, boosting Shakäste up and over the fence was an easy feat, and he landed gracefully on the other side in another alleyway that led to what was a noticeably run-down area of time, perhaps where some of the poorer shopkeepers lived. 

 

Jester was over next, nearly stumbling as she landed but righting herself, breathing heavier than Shakäste might have expected and looking down the alleyway like zolezzo might appear at any moment. Caduceus was halfway through hauling himself over when they heard shouts on the other side of the fence, Shakäste and Jester sharing a worried glance before scrambling to help Caduceus over and onto the other side.

 

“New disguises, quick!” Shakäste said as they took off running again, Jester already muttering spells. Her disguise shifted from a tanned, black haired human to a far paler brunette half-elf in entirely different clothes, but she kept speaking arcane words, hopefully some spells to assist with their steal and escape. Caduceus however, did not, simply stating he could only do it once before needing a rest. Oh well. Hopefully the zolezzo were just looking for three suspicious people, not two. 

 

Once again, Shakäste was quickly and harshly punished for daring to have any optimism that this situation would resolve quickly. The alleyway opened up onto another street that had a canal leading to the ocean running parallel to it, bridges criss-crossing the gap to the left and right. They randomly decided to go right, just as some zolezzo who had been patrolling this street saw them exit the alleyway, squinting suspiciously before their eyes widened in recognition.

 

“Hey, over there! It’s two of the people from the Sluice!” Great. So someone in the Sluice had definitely seen enough of them to give a decent enough description of him to the rest of the guards. Which meant everyone else who didn’t have a means of disguising themselves could be in trouble too. 

 

They pivoted one hundred and eighty degrees and took off running again since their cover had already been blown, only to see the original zolezzo emerging from the alleyway they’d just come from, blocking the way. They could try and rush past them, but Shakäste wasn’t sure if he liked their odds. 

 

Shakäste glanced to the canal, currently on his right. The closest bridge was past the zolezzo blocking the path behind him, no way they’d be able to reach it to get to the other side. Zolezzo in front of them, behind them, houses to the left of them. That left only one way to go.

 

“Stop.” Shakäste stopped, jerking Jester and Caduceus to a stop with him, both of them immediately looking at him with wide, confused eyes. Shakäste muttered some arcane words, holding his hands out in front of him and mentally reminding Stacy to stay close. 

 

Fog began to spew from his hands, forming so quickly it was almost instantaneous, but Shakäste was already moving, running to the right before the fog obscured the way completely but after he, Jester and Caduceus themselves were hopefully hidden from view of the zolezzo. He heard shouts of shock and surprise and figured it worked.

 

“Into the canal.” He said. “If we get under the bridge, they may not find us.”

 

“May?” Jester’s voice was tense and her breathing quick, and Shakäste wished he had more certainty to give to her. 

 

“Better than definitely finding us if we stay up here.” Shakäste said, stretching the thick fog as far out as he could go. They reached the edge of the canal, the water beneath a brilliant blue but not exactly shallow. At least they could all swim, and there didn’t appear to be a current. 

 

To hopefully add more confusion to the scenario for the zolezzo, Shakäste cast Thaumaturgy as he lowered himself into the canal, masking the light splash of the water with a hideous scream. Jester caught on quickly, casting it herself before jumping into the water. Caduceus seemed to cast a second spell before he cast Thaumaturgy, taking a few deep breaths before lowering himself into the water as gently as possible. 

 

Jester continued casting Thaumaturgy over and over again as they stuck to the edges of the canal, doggy-paddling as quickly as they could to the bridge, which had foundations jutting out from the rest of the wall of the canal that could hopefully act as extra cover. There was a current, but it wasn’t strong, and all three of them had little trouble swimming towards the bridge, despite focusing on spells and cantrips to continue to mask their escape. 

 

Once they got there, Shakäste leaned heavily against the foundation and the back wall of the canal, holding on to the fog spell for as long as he could. He was low, they all were, having exhausted quite a few spell slots finishing up the healing for everyone that morning. 

 

“Jester, can you cast Sending to warn the others? If the zolezzo are on the lookout for me, they’ll be on the lookout for everyone.” Shakäste said.

 

Jester nodded slightly, but made no move to cast the spell, pressing herself up against the back wall of the canal, her disguised self looking terribly pale and her breaths quick. She was looking upwards, her ears twitching at every sound.

 

“Jester, are you alright?” Painfully aware of the zolezzo searching for them above and still trying to maintain concentration, Shakäste kept his voice quiet. 

 

“It’s fine.” Jester wheezed out, and Shakäste cast a glance at Caduceus, who was on the other side of Jester and had a very familiar ‘my face is calm but I am screaming on the inside’ look. He wasn’t looking up in the direction of the current danger like Jester was, but looking down, trying to leverage himself against the wall and the others to keep as much of himself out of the water as possible. 

 

They didn’t have time for this right now, Shakäste knew. There was definitely something going on, with both of them, and he had a feeling for the reason why for both, but now was not the time for it. 

 

“Alright, both of you.” He said firmly, the last pieces of his concentration for the fog spell fading away. There were still confused shouts and general chaos above, so hopefully the ruse hadn’t been figured out. “We need to focus.”

 

Both Jester and Caduceus looked at him, the former biting her lip and the latter just seeming grateful for the distraction from thinking about the water below him. 

 

“Jester, cast Sending and tell the others the zolezzo are on the lookout for us. We need to regroup, and then we’ll probably need to get out of here. Then, we’re going to wait under here until the zolezzo move on, and then we’ll bolt. I can cast Fog Cloud again to cover our tracks, and then we’ll be alright. Okay?” 

 

Slowly, both Jester and Caduceus nodded, and Shakäste nodded along with them. It was a plan. Perhaps not the best plan, but a plan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to keep track of what spells everyone has is such a nightmare. Critrolestats has saved my life more times than I can count so far and we haven't even gotten to the BIG parts yet. But yeah, anyway, even with Shakäste around chaos still follows these kiddos.


	10. Clerical Chaos: The Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which this little side adventure comes to a close. For now.

The plan had gone alright, for a while. Jester had used Sending to get a message to Beau and Nott, warning them that the zolezzo were on the lookout for them, and that regrouping back at the Lavish Chateau would probably be a good idea. After that they had huddled down under the bridge, listening as zolezzo and civilians above shouted out orders and questions, trying to figure out where they had gone. 

 

Thankfully, none thought to look under the bridge and eventually the sounds in the streets above began to quiet down, relative calm taking over from the momentary chaos of the chase. 

 

“Is it safe?” Caduceus asked, still not looking at all comfortable but holding it together. 

 

“I’ll check.” Shakäste said, making sure he had a good hold on the walls before sending Stacy flying up, looking out at the street. He could have done it before but was worried the movement of the bird might have drawn someones eyes to their hiding spot, so decided not to. Now it was hopefully safe enough.

 

Through Stacy, he flew up into the sky, getting a good view of the entire street. There were still a few zolezzo walking along it, weapons at the ready and looking alert, but none were even close to the edges of the canal. If they were quiet, they might be able to get away without incident. He sent Stacy flying further down the canal, trying to see if there was anywhere they would be able to get out, and which way seemed easier to sneak through. After some flying he found some steps, presumably for any workers who had to clean or inspect the water for any reason, and figured that was probably as good as they were going to get.

 

He told Jester and Caduceus as much, pointing out the direction of the steps. “If we’re quiet, we’ll be fine.”

 

Both of them nodded and they began to swim as quickly and quietly as they could. Shakäste more or less hung off of Jester and let her drag him along in the water so that he could focus through Stacy’s eyes, keeping an eye on the zolezzo and any other possible obstacles. Thankfully, they made it to the steps without incident, but they were still nearly half a city away from the Lavish Chateau. They took a moment to rest on the steps, completely drenched. 

 

“I don’t think we’ll look very innocent wandering around like this.” Caduceus said, shaking his head and spraying water everywhere. 

 

“I don’t particularly want to try our luck getting chased again.” Shakäste said, holding a hand to his chest. He was fit, far fitter than he really had any business being, but he wasn’t exactly in the prime of his life. “Jester, do you know any shortcuts?”   
  


“Not really. I never had to know any shortcuts.” Jester said, wringing out her hair and clothes. 

 

“Alright then. Do you know the fastest way back from here?” 

 

“I know  _ a  _ way back.” Jester pouted, a bit of her regular attitude shining through now that they weren’t in any immediate danger. “I didn’t really go to the markets all that often.” 

 

“Then we’ll take that route. Any disguises left in you?” He looked towards Jester, since he already knew Caduceus didn’t. 

 

“Yeah, I can do one more. And, I can do some stealth stuff. I did pass without a trace before, but I think I lost concentration. I can do that again, and one more disguise, but then I’ll be out.” She said.

 

“You might as well. I can do fog again in a pinch, or some other major distractions. Caduceus?” Shakäste looked towards the firbolg, who shrugged loosely. 

 

“I could send out my beetles as a distraction, or make someone blind for a little while, but not much else.” 

 

“That could be very useful though. It’s very hard for blind people to catch people.” Jester said, before her eyes flickered to Shakäste. “Except for you, obviously.” 

 

“Obviously.” Shakäste just nodded, pulling up his drenched hood over his head and taking out his cane. Caduceus borrowed a cloak stowed away in Jester’s haversack that they had bought on behalf of Fjord earlier that day, a little small but hopefully enough to do the job. Jester cast her final disguise spell, becoming a human with matching skin colour to Shakäste, textured black hair flowing freely over her shoulders.

 

“No one ever suspects a girl helping out her super old and frail grandfather.” She said with a wink. “Caduceus can be my adopted brother!”

 

“That sounds nice.” Caduceus said mildly, shuffling upwards to the top of the stairs and keeping an eye out for zolezzo. “Do you suppose it’s time to go?”

 

“No better time than the present.” Shakäste said, smiling ever so slightly at them before standing up, slipping into his assigned role of frail old grandfather once they reached the top of the steps. Hunching his shoulders and keeping his head down, his hair wet and limp around his shoulders. Hopefully that would actually help aid in not being recognised. 

 

They made their way through the streets, Jester telling them the directions while they all acted as innocently as possible. Once they got far enough away from the markets the number of zolezzo patrolling around decreased, and the amount of whispers they overheard about criminals making a strange fog near the markets began to lessen too. 

 

“Are we going to have to leave Nicodranas after this?” Jester asked after a few minutes of walking, her arm stiff where it was looped with Shakäste.

 

“Most likely, I’m afraid.” Shakäste said, keeping his voice low. “If the zolezzo are on the lookout for us, there’s too many of us who have no way of disguising themselves, and I’d rather not take our chances on being arrested.” 

 

Too many who had no way of disguising themselves and very bad habits of being extremely conspicuous, he thought distantly. Molly’s coat was about as dead a giveaway as you could get, and Beau and Yasha didn’t exactly keep low profiles either. Everyone else wasn’t much better, but they could at least disguise themselves. 

 

“We’ve only been here for like… three days.” Jester said mournfully. 

 

“Three very… interesting days.” Caduceus said evenly.

 

“We’ll have to discuss it with the others. Let’s focus on getting back to the Chateau, and then we’ll decide what to do.” Shakäste said, a soft smile focused in mainly Jester’s direction. 

 

“Yeah. Ugh, it’s just so annoying. It’s not like we did anything.” Jester said, pouting and scuffing her feet on the ground seemingly just to make a point of how annoyed she was. 

 

Caduceus and Shakäste shared a glance. “We did… many things.” The firbolg said. 

 

“Nothing super  _ bad  _ though. Jorge said the city would be fine without that genie eventually.” Jester kicked a loose pebble, sending it skittering along the stone path, creases forming on her forehead. “I don’t want to have to leave yet, I-we just got here.”

 

“We’re not leaving yet, dear.” Shakäste said, reaching his free hand over and patting her elbow where it looped with his other arm. “We’ll go back to the Chateau, you can see your mother, and we’ll decide what to do.”

 

Jester nodded slowly, looking upwards and around at the buildings and people surrounding them, as if trying to make sure she captured every detail, sight, smell and sound, locking them away in her memories, just in case this truly was the last day she spent here. It was a familiar moment, and Shakäste felt a tiny pang in his heart from wounds gained decades ago. 

 

They continued along the streets in relative silence, sticking to trailing behind groups of people and trying to stay out of the line of sight of the zolezzo as much as possible. Whenever one did happen to look their way Jester would make sure she was the most obvious of the bunch, waving her free arm wildly and pretending to drag them towards something that looked exciting but really was just further along the path they were taking to the Chateau, acting up as if she were the most loud and generally impolite tourist to ever exist. 

 

It seemed to work, at least until they came close to a large square, the Lavish Chateau only a few blocks away. 

 

“There’s more zolezzo.” Jester whispered, the three of them pausing and pretending to be very interesting in a street performer juggling a steadily increasing number of shoes, of all things. “They’re checking people as they go into the square.”

 

“Is there a way around?” Caduceus asked.

 

Jester fidgeted with her hands, bouncing nervously on her feet while pretending to be amazed as the juggler’s assistant added three more shoes to the act. “Maybe- but I never had to go around the square before, we might get lost.” 

 

“Do we know where the others are?” Shakäste asked, and this time Jester shook her head.

 

“I don’t have any more spells, I can’t use Sending anymore. They weren’t in trouble when I talked to them before, but-”

 

“They’ll probably be fine.” Caduceus said. “But what about us?” 

 

“We could try and find a way around the square, or we can try and make a distraction and run for it.” Shakäste said, already aware of which option they’d probably end up going with, simply based on their track record and the fact that Jester was there. 

 

“We  _ do  _ have those exploding beans that magically appeared in my pocket.” Jester said slowly, hints of mischievousness sneaking into her tone. No, not really hints. She had definitely bought those while Shakäste’s back had been turned. “They could cause a distraction.”

 

“They also might hurt someone if we’re not careful.” Shakäste said. “I can use fog, the zolezzo will definitely want to investigate that.” 

 

“And then we throw exploding beans at them.” Jester said solemnly. 

 

“No exploding beans today, please.” Caduceus said, not appearing visibly concerned. “Then they’ll be able to add assault onto our list of crimes.”

 

“I think that’s probably already on there.” Jester mused. “I mean, only if they figured out we were the ones who fucked up Jorge and his guards.” 

 

Shakäste cleared his throat. “The details of our probable arrest warrant aside, let’s be clear with this.” They developed a very brief plan, which mostly came down to Shakäste making fog in the middle of the square, hopefully causing chaos, and then booking it, with Caduceus blinding anyone who did happen to catch on to them and Jester finding them the quickest way through. The simpler the plan, the less opportunities for things to go terribly, horribly wrong. 

 

“Well then, it’s decided.” They dropped a few coins into a large shoe sitting just in front of the street performer and clapped politely as he finished his act, before slowly beginning to make their way towards the entrance of the square. 

 

Jester took the lead for the three of them, while Shakäste sent Stacy ahead to scope out the best place for him to create the fog. Eventually he settled on a particular spot to the left of the square, where there was a decent amount of people and also a decent amount of zolezzo. Calling Stacy back, he began to cast the spell, hearing shouts of surprise and alarm beginning to start up almost immediately.

 

Jester dutifully began to freak out, pointing to the quickly forming fog cloud and shrieking, drawing the attention of anyone nearby who hadn’t yet noticed it. The zolezzo, who had hopefully been informed of how they had escaped the first time, sprung into action, drawing their weapons.

 

“Stay calm!” One of them called out, stepping towards the fog cloud and facing away from Shakäste and the others.

 

“We’re all going to die!” Jester screeched. A nearby woman picked up on the fear, kickstarting a wonderful chain reaction of panic in the civilians around them. Most of them quickly began to run away from the fog but Jester, Shakäste and Caduceus ran forward, bolting past the zolezzo and into the square. 

 

Shakäste heard a few shouts for them to stop behind them but they were quickly lost as they dove into the throng of people already in the square trying to get away from the fog, zolezzo trying to keep some sort of order while simultaneously approaching the fog. 

 

“Runrunrunrunrun-” Jester repeated over and over, sounding almost giddy at the excitement as she weaved them through and around people. Caduceus was quiet except for silently muttering spells, still trying to keep his head down and not have his height draw any attention to them.

 

“W-what the- I can’t see!” Someone, hopefully a zolezzo called out, starting off a new wave of panic from civilians and shouts from the zolezzo. 

 

They joined a stream of people being let out of the square by the zolezzo, Shakäste being careful to look down at the ground and hold onto Jester’s arm as if he actually needed to, not giving the zolezzo and excuse to look at them any closer. Once they were through, amazingly all still together and in one piece, they didn’t hesitate before bolting down the streets that led to the Lavish Chateau, taking a side door inside to avoid being seen entering from the front. 

 

The door shut behind them, and they found themselves in a small but still clean and rather ornate side corridor, with doors that led throughout the Chateau. For a few moments all they did was catch their breath, relief flooding Shakäste’s body. Thank goodness. 

 

Jester began to giggle, one hand on her chest and the other on her forehead. “That-that was-”

 

“That was something.” Caduceus said, tension bleeding from his shoulders as he pulled down the hood from his borrowed cloak. 

 

“It was indeed. And here I thought the chaos only followed Molly.” Shakäste mused.

 

“Oh no, it’s all of us.” Jestersaid, bunching up her currently long hair and flicking it over her shoulder. 

 

“Well, it seems to be nothing the cleric club can’t handle.” Shakäste said mildly, pretending not to notice the wide grin that spread on Jester’s face. Caduceus’ mouth curled up into a smile too. 

 

“Yes! We’re the cleric club!” She announced, wrapping one arm around Caduceus’ shoulders and the other around Shakäste’s, pulling them both in with surprising strength. “Everyone else is gonna be jealous as  _ shit _ .” 

 

Caduceus chuckled. “I’ve never been part of a club.” He said, settling into a small smile. “It’s nice.” 

 

“Me neither!” Jester said, her grin boardening. 

 

“Speaking of everyone else, we’d best see if they’ve arrived.” Shakäste said. “Or if the cleric club needs to bust them out of prison.”

  
“Oh, we would get  _ so  _ arrested if we tried to bust someone out of prison right now.” Jester said, beginning to skip down the hallway. “Come on, we can get to the rest of the chateau this way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! All the clerics are back and in one piece! They didn't even lose any of their shopping. A successful mission, I say. Of course, Shakäste probably still wants to have a little Chat (read: therapy session) but that's for another time. :)
> 
> Also, fun facts! With the addition of this chapter, WBTBWWGTI (god thats a long title) is officially my second longest fic. The first is obviously Nothing But A Note, but even though I haven't finished writing this whole thing yet, I'm fairly certain Bridge will overtake it. At the very least it's gonna have a LOT more chapters. But we'll see.


	11. Sneaking Out Of A City? This Feels Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly gets the easy job.

Molly sat in the dining hall of the Lavish Chateau, empty except for a few scarce patrons and six members of the Mighty Nein plus a cat familiar, bird, weasel and dog. Everyone else was sitting around the table, arms folded or fingers tapping the table, waiting for the final three members of their group to arrive.

 

Which they did, with great gusto. A door from the kitchen burst open without warning, a young dark-skinned woman with long curly hair scanning over the room a second before spotting everyone else sitting at the table, smiling widely. Shakäste and Caduceus followed her out a few moments later, and everyone put two and two together that the woman was Jester.

 

“You guys all made it!” She announced, jogging over to them and promptly scooping up Nugget and Sprinkle. “Aw, did you guys miss me?” 

 

“You guys alright?” Fjord asked. 

 

“Been better.” Shakäste said, dripping water all over the floor. He pulled down his hood, and Molly quickly had to stifle a laugh, because he had not expected to see Shakäste completely drenched, and it was a very different look to how he usually appeared.

 

“So, you’re sure the zolezzo know who we are?” Caleb asked.

 

“Yes. One of them recognised me from the Sluice Weave.” Shakäste said.

 

“The Sluice Weave? But the only people who saw us there was Jorge and his two guards.” Beau frowned.

 

There were shrugs all around, until Caleb swore, drawing everyone’s attention.

 

“There was another person there.” He said, scowling. “He ran as soon as we started fighting.” 

 

“Well, shit.” 

 

“So what do we do now?” Nott asked. “We can’t hide around in here forever.”

 

“Well.” Fjord exhaled slowly, scratching the back of his neck. “We did find out that Cadmus tends to go to Port Damali after he finishes a job to restock his ships. Sabien might be with him.” 

 

“Might?” Shakäste asked, one eyebrow raised. 

 

“Hey, we can either chase after him, chase after Avantica - which we can’t do since we don’t have a boat and no one knows where she is - or we could go back to the Empire and possibly get arrested as soon as we try to go through the gate.” Fjord said, shrugging. 

 

“Ja, I doubt they will fall for the same story twice.” Caleb said.

 

Everyone looked around at one another again, and Molly’s tail flicked around irritably. “So what do we do? March along the entire Menagerie Coast?” 

 

“We probably have to leave Nicodranas anyway, cause of the zolezzo.” Beau said, gesturing pointedly in the direction of the rest of the city. “As far as they’re concerned we’re basically terrorists.”

 

“I think we… are terrorists.” Caduceus said slowly. “In a manner of speaking.”

 

“Terrorists is such a strong word.” Molly said, scoffing. “They were the ones using slave labour to power their water systems.” 

 

“In any case, we’re in danger as long as we stay here.” 

 

“It’s not like they’re gonna bust down the door or anything, they don’t know where we’re staying.” Beau said.

 

“Unless one particular zolezzo remembers an encounter he had with a random woman named Traci - who told him where she was staying - and realises she matches the possible description of a woman who had a hand in freeing Nicodranas’ water djinn slave.” Fjord said blandly. 

 

Beau’s eyes went wide. “Fuck.” 

 

“In that case, we have to assume that they will be able to figure out where we’re staying. Which means they could arrive to search the Chateau at any moment.” Shakäste said. “It may be prudent to leave sooner rather than later.”

 

“Yeah, except I have literally zero spells left so I can’t disguise myself anymore once this runs out.” Jester said, gesturing vaguely at herself. 

 

After a brief catalogue on who had spells left - only Caleb and Fjord, really - and who could still disguise themselves, they realised that trying to sneak out of Nicodranas now, with the zolezzo presumably out to get them all and guarding the gates very carefully, they would most likely be caught regardless of whether or not the zolezzo knew where they were. 

 

So they decided to wait until the next morning, Caleb using Frumpkin and Shakäste using Stacy, on top of Alarm spells on the door to keep an eye on any potential zolezzo approaching the Lavish Chateau. Luckily for them, none did, which hopefully meant that the zolezzo Beau had approached and flirted with were too dim to make the connection between her and what had happened in the Sluice Weave, or had just forgotten where she’d said she’d been staying, and in the morning they woke up safe and not-arrested. 

 

Whatever it was, hopefully the luck would hold out until-

 

Molly caught himself and quickly banished the thought. He wasn’t even going to give the universe the chance to prove him wrong. Suck it, universe. 

 

“Are you sure you have to leave?” Marion’s door opened as they walked down the corridor, dressed in a silky nightgown. “Do you have everything you will need?”

 

“We’ll be fine.” Fjord said, before making an odd face. “Miss… er, Lavorre.”

 

“We’ll be alright, Mama.” Jester, currently undisguised, hugged her mother tight, smiling. “We’re super strong, you know?” 

 

Molly shared glances with the rest of the Mighty Nein, exchanging a few nods before most of them continued walking down the corridors, ready to take the back entrance to where they’d stowed the cart.

 

“Come down when you’re ready, Jes, alright?” Beau said, patting Jester’s shoulder before sweeping past Molly, folding her arms together.

 

“But don’t take too long. Because we’re probably being hunted.” Nott pointed out. Molly rolled his eyes, picking up Nott by the back of her cloak and dropping her onto Yasha’s shoulder, walking next to him. Nott hissed at him for a few seconds. Molly briefly debated hissing back, but by the time he thought it was worth it the moment had sadly passed. 

 

He, Nott and Yasha were the last ones besides Jester to get down to the cart. It was still early morning, where they hoped the number of guards at the gate would be thinnest, so their plan was simple. Those who could disguise themselves would do so, those who couldn’t would hide in the relative safety of their enchanted cart.

 

Once they got to the gate out of the city, they’d try to go through normally. If the guards got suspicious? 

 

They’d knock them out and bolt. 

 

It was  _ a  _ plan, at the very least. 

 

Molly delayed getting into the cart until Jester arrived, mostly because being outside the cart was more fun and also because then he wouldn’t have to stay cooped up with Beau and the animals as long. He wasn’t still bitter about the peacock. Nope. Even if he would have perfect. 

 

It’s not like a teleporting dog or a weasel or a goddamned owl that barely listened to anyone (he and Beau deserved each other) was any more practical than a peacock. 

 

There was a small click as the door opened and closed. As Jester walked through Molly caught a glimpse of her wiping her face before a bright smile took over and she stretched out her arms over her head.

 

“Ready to go?” Molly tilted his head as he leaned against the cart.

 

“Yeah.” A flicker of a frown crossed Jester’s face. “I mean, it’s annoying, but it’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

 

That particular statement rang a bell in Molly’s mind, but his memory gave him nothing to work with. “What?”

 

“What?” Jester blinked at him.

 

“When did you have to sneak out a city before?”

 

“The first time I left Nicodranas. Remember I told you, cause I pulled a super funny prank on a guy that he reallllyy overreacted to.” Jester said, waving her hands and muttering the spell to cast a disguise on herself. 

 

Molly did not in fact remember her telling him that, but it sounded on-brand. “Absolutely brilliant.” 

 

Jester beamed, flicking some now white hair over her shoulder. “I know, I’m very brilliant.” 

 

“I think it’s about time we get going.” Shakäste poked his head out of the cart - looking to the rest of them like his head was sticking out of a barrel. Begrudgingly, Molly climbed up into the cart, settling in inbetween Shakäste and Yasha.

 

They couldn’t see anything outside of the cart as it began to move, which Molly was fine with. Ostensibly, he and the others in the cart had the easiest part of the plan - stay sitting and don’t do anything stupid and/or loud, looking at you Molly and Beau, and they only had to do it until they got a fair distance away from Nicodranas. After that, they were home free until they got banned from the next city-state down the road. 

 

Everything went smoothly as they travelled through the city, those outside the cart keeping chatter to a minimum and those inside the cart crossing their arms and waiting for this to be over. After five minutes of absolutely nothing of interest happening, Molly pulled out his reacquired deck of fortune telling cards and began shuffling them. 

 

Once he was done he glanced around the three others in the cart, who had looked his way to see what he was doing before going back to fiddling with their hair or clothes or petting one of the animals. A smile quirking on his lips, he turned to Yasha first, spreading the cards out face-down in his hand.

 

“Want a reading?” He whispered as loud as he dared, and Yasha raised one eyebrow, Nugget snoozing happily in her lap. 

 

Without really answering, Yasha pulled a card from the deck, flicking it over and handing it back to Molly. 

 

“Ah, the Moon.” Molly said, folding the rest of the deck up and holding the card up for a moment. “I don’t remember what this means.”

 

On the other side of the cart, Beau snorted. Yasha smirked, and even Shakäste seemed amused. 

 

“Oh yes, laugh at my memory loss.” Molly flipped off all of them, which only got Yasha to start snickering. Molly pressed a hand against his chest in mock offense. “Et tu, Yasha?”

 

“I’m sure you will remember what it means.” Yasha said, still smiling, and Molly couldn’t really be mad, she smiled so little. “Then you can tell me.” 

 

“I’ll just have to, won’t I.” 

 

“Why don’t you give me a reading?” Shakäste asked, deftly plucking a card from the deck when Molly brought it out again. 

 

“The Eye.” Molly said, squinting at the words. His reading abilities were still basically nonexistent, but apparently these cards were within his limited knowledge, even if he couldn’t remember what they represented. He looked at Shakäste’s white, very blind eyes. “I can’t tell if that’s ironic or not.” 

 

“Do one for me.” Beau said, shifting her seating position from leaning up against the walls of the cart to a cross-legged position.

 

“Well-” Molly was about to say something very smart-assish, and Beau seemed to realise it, beginning to roll her eyes and lean back, her shoulders deflating. 

 

After a split second to think about it, Molly switched tack, holding the deck out in front of Beau. Her eye-roll vanished as quickly as it had begun and her face actually lit up a bit, taking a card quickly as if Molly might take the cards away if she wasn’t fast. 

 

“The Edge.” Molly read out dutifully, letting the others have a glance at the picture of a figure standing at the edge of a cliff on the card before he tucked it back into the deck. “Sorry, Beau, you’ll be dead in a week. Shakäste, you’re giving her eulogy.” 

 

“I will start writing it immediately.” Shakäste’s face didn’t change. ”It will be very touching.” 

 

Now Beau did complete her eye roll, coupling it with a particularly impressive scoff, but it didn’t carry any of the usual vitriol Molly remembered. “Let me know when you remember what these things actually mean.” 

 

“I don’t think you even did it right.” Yasha mused, looking down at the cards.

 

“Don’t worry, Molly, you did great.” Shakäste said with not even a modicum of sincerity, patting him gently on the shoulder. 

 

“Nice to know someone believes in me.” Molly couldn’t help a grin, if only because doing something, even if were just fake and incorrectly done readings, was way more interesting than sitting around and hoping no one looked in the cart. 

 

There were three short knocks on the cart from outside of it, a warning from the others that they were approaching the gate. Which meant it was time to be silent and pray that whoever was guarding the gates were really shit at their jobs. 

 

As if to demonstrate how little anyone believed they would be that lucky, all of them had their weapons at the ready. Well, Molly and Yasha did. Beau just had her fists and Shakäste just shuffled to the back of the cart, probably figuring the rest of them had it covered. 

 

Muffled voices began to speak outside the cart, and Molly was so quiet he thought he could hear his heartbeat. The talking continued, too distorted by the enchantment keeping them concealed for them to really figure out what was being said. Silence fell for a short while.

 

Then an armoured hand slipped through the enchantment. Followed by a very surprised and confused face of a guard. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. 

 

“Hi.” Molly said pleasantly.

 

“Uh- _ boss-”  _

 

In the space of about a second, there were at least fifteen separate curses in at least three different languages, and Beau kicked a guard in the face with enough force that all of them heard the thud of a body hitting the ground five feet away. 

 

There was another round of curses from outside the cart, followed by shouts. 

 

Well, Molly thought to himself as the cart lurched to a start. At least they had a backup plan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon: oh yeah Molly was kinda sorta connected to the Moon and everything
> 
> Me, blatantly ignoring Molly worshipping the Moonweaver: Molly is symbolised by the sun and Yasha is symbolised by the moon, you can't change my mind.


	12. The Finer Points Of Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which serious discussions are held.

The Menagerie Coast was a bit strange when compared to all of the countries and empires that made up most of Exandria. A collection of city-states (or island states in some cases), more or less independent but more or less united under the Clovis Concord. It was an odd arrangement that, according to Fjord, only really worked because all of the separate city-states had started off as far smaller coastal towns that grew in size, banded together out of mutual desire to not be invaded by the growing inland forces, but never decided to become a unified country of its own. 

 

Nicodranas was the south-most and east-most city-state of the Menagerie Coast, what would usually be considered the starting point for someone who wished to tour along the entire coast. Port Damali, Fjord’s hometown and their current final destination, was the last stop on such a tour, because of course it was. 

 

Unlike what Molly had initially imagined, the city-states were not all bunched up next to one another, so that it would be easy to slip from one into the other. No. Apparently, there was actually a fair amount of distance, enough to fit a few small villages or towns, in between each major city-state.

 

Also unlike what Molly had initially imagined, Nicodranas had a close enough friendship with the neighbouring city-state, Guar, that criminals in one city often became criminals in the other automatically. Apparently none of them anticipated how quickly they could communicate either, and Fjord spent a good twenty minutes cursing about messenger birds or spells or some other kind of dumb shit as they raced through the streets of Guar, pursued by two dozen Guarian guards that had been alerted to their criminal record and current wanted-ness in Nicodranas. 

 

They left Guar very quickly. 

 

“Is it gonna be like this the whole way?” Nott asked once they were far enough away from Guar that they were going at a regular pace rather than a ‘oh god the guards are chasing us shit fuck make the horses go faster fuck’ pace.

 

Everyone looked at Fjord. Jester had already proven to be less than helpful, as her knowledge of the Menagerie Coast was mostly limited to Nicodranas and the names of the other city-states. Apparently she had been a very distracted student. And also one who pranked her tutors so often that eventually her mother had just done it herself.

 

“Well, they say Smoky Bay is the least likely place to get arrested for something you did in the rest of the coast, besides Trifolia Cove.” Fjord said, rubbing a spot on his arm that had been hit by a crossbow bolt, the wound already healed.

 

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Molly said. “I do enjoy not being arrested.”

 

Fjord cringed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, it’s mostly because it’s also the most crime-ridden city-state, so the guards that are there are kinda busy trying to stop people from getting murdered.” 

 

Everyone glanced at one another. Higher chances of being murdered in the streets, or having guards chasing after you at all times? Which was more inconvenient? 

 

“I think we can handle that.” Yasha said. There was a general murmur of agreement. 

 

“As long as no one goes off on their own, we should be fine.” Shakäste said. 

 

Nott, ever full of vaguely useful advice, piped up. “And if you do start getting murdered, just murder them back.”

 

“Well, it’s not really murder at that point, that’s just self defense.” Beau said. “It’s only  _ really  _ murder if you’re the one who starts it.”

 

“I don’t think that’s… how it works.” Shakäste actually looked slightly confused, something that happened a lot now that he was with the Mighty Nein. Molly loved it every time someone other than him managed to bring about that particular emotion, mostly because it was one Shakäste rarely seemed to feel. 

 

“Really? I wouldn’t consider it murder if you got attacked first.” Molly piped up, mostly because he wanted to see how long they could carry a conversation on the finer points of killing people. 

 

“It’s still murder.” Caleb said, looking serious. “It’s just a more acceptable form of murder.”

 

“But is it  _ really  _ though?” Beau continues, actually seeming to take the discussion seriously. “I mean, what if someone like, killed your dog, if you go kill whoever killed them, is  _ that  _ murder?”

 

“Yes, that’s definitely murder.” Fjord said. A second passed. “Wait, have you done something like that-”

 

“But is it  _ murder  _ murder?” Molly asked, cutting off Fjord before he could finish his question. “I mean, are there different scales of murder?” 

 

“How many scales would there be?” Yasha asked, seeming mildly amused by this entire situation. 

 

“There’s definitely a difference between murdering someone because they murdered first and murdering someone just because.” Nott nodded, like she was an expert on murder. “But it only really matters if you get caught.” 

 

“This is a very strange conversation.” Caduceus said, but he didn’t seem particularly disturbed. Just perplexed. 

 

“But a very important one.” Molly said, grinning.

 

“I prefer not killing people, though.” Jester said. “It’s waayyyyy easier to just hit them in the shoulder or the leg or something so then they can’t chase after you, but they won’t die.” 

 

“Well, yeah, obviously.” Molly said, waving his hand in a vague gesture. “Not killing people is usually preferable to killing them.”

 

“Unless they’re really shitty people.” Caleb mumbled, probably intending to say it quietly but being close enough to the others to be heard by Jester, who repeats the sentiment.

 

It takes only a few moments for everyone to agree that yes, really shitty people definitely deserve to be murdered. Really, really shitty people deserve to be annihilated without mercy, and no one needed to say any names to know the shitty people they were all imagining. So by the time they set up camp for the night, roughly three quarters of the way from Guar to Smoky Bay, everyone is more or less pleased with how the day had been spent. 

 

Caduceus cooked up dinner for everyone as they try to sort of come up with a plan for the next few days. Fjord is fairly certain there won’t be warrants out for their arrest in the other city-states, since they were far enough away that they didn’t really care, or if they did care, not enough that a few well placed gold pieces wouldn’t change their mind. 

 

Still, not that Molly didn’t  _ love  _ being chased and hunted through cities and hiding out in enchanted carts and ducking under crossbow bolts, it was nice to know that there was one less thing to worry about once they got to Smoky Bay. It had been a chaotic few days, especially after the relative peace and almost giddiness that had followed them on their trip to Nicodranas from Zadash. 

 

They gathered around the campfire as they ate, the quality of the food they ate far better since Caduceus had joined the group. They chattered about nothing important while they ate, the conversation loud and rowdy once Nott decided to share her flask around. They were nowhere near drunk, but six tipsy people (Jester and Caduceus refrained as per the usual, and Shakäste declined as well) was more than enough to make tongues a little looser and laughs a little easier. 

 

Eventually everyone began to settle down for the night. Caleb cast his hut spell and promptly conked out, Beau and Nott soon following. Caduceus put on some tea for those still awake, pulling out an assortment of new ones he’d bought in Nicodranas along with what remained of his old stockpile. Fjord had a cup before going to bed himself, reminding the rest of them to get into the hut soon and probably not actually going to sleep right away. 

 

The three clerics stayed sitting around the campfire with their tea chatting quietly, probably so as not to disturb those sleeping only a few feet away in the hut. Yasha, though, was leaning against a tree close by where they’d parked the cart, staring off into the distance where clouds were beginning to loom. Molly felt himself begin to frown, not quite remembering exactly what the clouds meant, but knowing that it was usually connected to Yasha deciding to leave.

 

He sidled over to Yasha, poking her lightly in the arm just to make sure she knew he was there. She actually flinched, a sign that she was really out of it. Molly looked off in the direction she had been staring at, squinting in the distance but seeing nothing but the vague mass of clouds, a dark shadow in the night sky. 

 

“Are you going to leave?” He asked quietly, casting a glance towards the campfire where the clerics were still huddled together closely, sipping cups of tea, then to the hut, which he couldn’t see through but he judged to be far enough away that anyone who was awake in there couldn’t hear. 

 

There were a few moments of silence before Yasha exhaled. “No. Not yet.” 

 

Molly didn’t like the ‘yet’, but he’d had enough time to remember and deal with the fact that leaving was something Yasha did. She always came back, and he was okay with it, really, but knowing that didn’t stop the small irrational part of him that was sad about it. “Soon?”

 

“Maybe.” 

 

Molly leaned onto Yasha, her skin feeling cold to the touch thanks to his tiefling body heat. 

 

“I don’t really want you to go.” He said, fully aware it wouldn’t change anything. Yasha only left because the Stormlord told her to, and she’d do anything the Stormlord told her to do. She hadn’t told him why (or maybe she had and he had yet to remember it), and it was something Molly didn’t ask her about, but it was a simple fact. 

 

“I know. You’ve told me that before.” The knowledge that he’d said that before, a missing memory in a maze of missing memories hit Molly in the gut. He knew there were still so many gaps in his memory, even ignoring the utter blankness that was earlier than two years ago (because he didn’t give a single shit about  _ those  _ memories). But for some reason the realisation that he was almost repeating a conversation was… disheartening.

 

“You could always ask the Stormlord to find another errand-runner.” Molly was only half-joking, but Yasha snickered anyway.

 

“I already did.” She said, leaning back against the tree so that her height lowered an inch or two before resting her head on top of Molly’s. “I asked him not to call me again until I found you.” 

 

For a moment, Molly couldn’t think of what to say. He remembered Fjord telling him that if they hadn’t found Molly in Zadash, Yasha probably would have left. If Molly and Shakäste had been delayed any longer, would he have missed her? Would she have set off on her own looking for him, unaware of how close he had been? He couldn’t imagine reuniting with the Mighty Nein without Yasha being there. It wouldn’t have felt complete. Molly didn’t like to dwell on the past but that particular possibility was haunting.

 

“If he had called you anyway, would you have gone?” He finally asked. 

 

“Probably.” She said. “But he didn’t.” 

 

“Have you ever asked him not to call you before?” 

 

“No.” 

 

There was a long pause where the two of them just stood there, staring at the clouds in the distance. 

 

“Thank you, then.” He said, entwining his hand into Yasha’s and squeezing tight. “I’m glad you’re still here.” 

 

“So am I.” Yasha squeezed his hand back, gentle in a way that would be surprising to anyone who didn’t know her. “I hope I’ll be able to stay a bit longer.”

 

“That would be nice.We need someone to intimidate all these theoretical murderers in Smoky Bay.” Molly said, smiling. 

 

“Anyone who tries to kill one of us will be too stupid to intimidate.” Yasha said, a flash of seriousness crossing her face in an instant that Molly barely caught in the corner of his vision.

 

“You may be right there.” He said quietly. He still felt unsettled, a rolling pit of something anxious in his stomach that had started as soon as he’d seen Yasha standing over here by herself, and had simmered away throughout the entire conversation. 

 

He glanced back towards the campfire once more. Jester was resting her head on Caduceus’ shoulder, the firbolg holding a cup of tea in both hands. Shakäste had his back to Molly but had a hand on Caduceus’ knee in a reassuring gesture Molly knew all too well. All three of them were still talking, their voices low and hushed, but Molly could feel the weight of it even from over here, seeping into his bones.

 

Looking back up to Yasha, she hadn’t seemed to notice it, her eyes drifting back towards the clouds in the distance. The rumbling anxiety in his stomach seemed to clear, the source of the tension jumping into his mind.

 

“Can you let me know?” His voice wavered in a way that it hadn’t in a while, and Yasha looked down at him, her eyes widened slightly. 

 

“Let you know?”

 

“When you do have to leave. Just let me know before you go.” Molly hung his head, letting nearly his entire body weight rest onto Yasha and closing his eyes, focusing on the coolness and roughness of her skin, toughened by years of work, travelling, and whatever else had happened to her in her life. “You can wake me up if I’m asleep, just let me know.”

 

Yasha didn’t respond for a while, which usually meant she was simply processing what he was saying, thinking of the best words to use in her answer. Molly didn’t mind the silence, because he knew Yasha would answer eventually. 

 

“Yeah. I can do that.” She finally said, moving her arm around his shoulders and letting him fall a little further into a side embrace, comfortable with the physical affection in a way she wasn’t with the others. 

 

“I’m sorry I forgot about telling you I don’t want you to go.” Molly said. 

 

“It’s okay.” Yasha’s thumb rubbed tiny circles on Molly’s shoulder, gentle but strong enough to ground him. 

 

“Alright.” It wasn’t okay. Well, that wasn’t quite true. It was okay to everyone but him. But there was little he could do about it, so he just stood there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me after writing this chapter: are there scales to murder????  
> Me three days later: Oh shit right there's first degree and second degree and all that jazz
> 
> Anyway, Yasha is still a gift and I love her and I'd originally planned to have her actually go off on stormlord business around about here but then I realise a) i love her too much and b) it's more fun if she sticks around and c) i don't actually want her to go anywhere because she's the best
> 
> Yeah i think at this point Yasha is my second fave character.


	13. Clerical Coda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which campfires are always the best place to have conversations.

Shakäste enjoyed tea. It wasn’t his favourite drink in the world, but it was calming and warm and made him look very sophisticated and wise, which in his experience was always beneficial. His thoughts on tea hadn’t really gone beyond that for much of his life, but now it seemed there was far more to it than he had initially imagined as Caduceus poured himself a very generous cup of the new valerian root tea he had bought in Nicodranas.

 

“Would you like some?” Caduceus asked, holding up a few small tin cups from his tea set. It was only the two of them and Jester, the others having either gone to bed within the hut or drifted just a little ways out of the radius of the campfire’s warmth to have what was most likely a personal chat. 

 

“I’d love to try it.” Shakäste said, accepting the warm cup. He glanced towards Jester, distantly wondering if it was prudent to talk about what he wanted to talk about while she was around. 

 

The tiefling was currently seated next to Caduceus, gazing off into the fire with a thoughtful pinched frown on her face. Her hands were resting on the ground next to her with one finger tapping at the dirt and her tail swished back and forth behind her restlessly. As Shakäste sipped his tea - very pleasant tasting and relaxing - and silently considered his options, Jester looked up, locking eyes with Caduceus. 

 

“Are you okay?” She asked, and that promptly eliminated any compunctions Shakäste had with starting this particular conversation. Or continuing it, since it had now been started. 

 

Caduceus said nothing, taking a longer sip of his tea and lifting up his pot to refill his cup, even though it wasn’t even half empty yet, a slightly pained expression crossing his face. Which, since Caduceus rarely seemed to show extreme emotions, may as well have been a confirmation. 

 

Without much of an answer, Jester continued, her voice hushed and lacking the usual playfulness. “I mean, a few days ago, with the genie and the docks and then the next day when we got all chased through the city, you seemed kinda stressed out.”

 

“I suppose I was.” Caduceus said, his eyes flickering up at both of them. 

 

Shakäste decided this was as good a moment as any to slowly interject himself into the conversation. “I could say the same for you, Jester.”

 

“What?” Jester looked towards him, sitting up a bit straighter and her hand darting into her lap.

 

“I don’t mean to be frank,” He did, he definitely did mean to be frank. “But from what I’ve seen, both of you have had some stressful days.”

 

Jester and Caduceus glanced at each other uncertainly, and Shakäste continued. “Perhaps you could talk about it.” 

 

He took another sip of his own tea, closing his eyes (while still looking through Stacy’s) and waiting for one of them to continue. There’s a short silence where both of them just look at each other, before Caduceus exhales.

 

“It’s been… more than I imagined.” He said. “And less, at the same time. More… nearly dying and running away and fighting things and less…” 

 

He paused, looking down at his tea. “Less calm than I thought there would be.”

 

“I don’t think we have a lot of calm very often.” Jester sounded subdued, which was an odd way for Jester to sound. “I think some of that is my fault.” 

 

“It’s okay, I’m okay with that, but… this isn’t what I expected when I left home.” 

 

“I wasn’t really expecting all of this either.” Jester’s shoulders sagged and she sighed. “I mean, all the travelling is really fun, and I love all of you guys, but... “ Her voice trailed away.

 

“Sometimes things don’t go so well.” Shakäste said softly, subtly shifting a little closer to the pair. 

 

Jester nodded, looking down at something in her hands that she kept in her lap, hidden by her hands and dress. “I-I thought everything would always be okay, but now I’m not so sure… even if we  _ are  _ all okay right now.”

 

“It’s a normal feeling.” Shakäste said. “You’ve both been through some unpleasant experiences.”

 

“Yeah, but I didn’t die or anything.” Jester chuckled and flashed a quick smirk, but it faded as soon as it arrived and her words held no real joy, her eyes flashing over to where Molly and Yasha were standing together, talking quietly. 

 

“You don’t have to die to suffer. There’s no competition for who has the worst problems.” Shakäste said firmly, because if there was one thing he wanted the both of them to realise, it was that. Buckling down on your feelings and holding them in because of the foolish notion that other people with worse sufferings mean one's own don’t matter could only ever make everything worse in the long run for everyone involved. 

 

The trio lapsed into silence, before Caduceus broke it. 

 

“I thought there was a reason for me being here. I had a plan, a goal to save my home, and I thought you guys were like… the divine path to see it through.” 

 

“Do you not think that anymore?” Jester asked, her voice small. 

 

“I… I don’t know. We keep going further and further away from my home, but in all those years I was there I could never find a way to save it. I… I don’t know if I can ever help it, if I was ever meant to help it. Perhaps there’s nothing I can do to save it and now I’m just… here.” Caduceus spoke as evenly as he always did, but a small sorrow and doubt slipped into every word. “Perhaps leaving was a mistake.”

 

“It wasn’t a mistake.” Jester said firmly, sitting up straight and putting a hand on Caduceus’ shoulder. “If it weren’t for you, Beau and everyone wouldn’t have been able to save us.” 

 

“I’ve never felt so uncertain before.” Caduceus sighed, finishing off his cup of tea and refilling it once again. 

 

“Well…” Jester faltered for a moment, biting her lip and obviously mulling something over in her head. Shakäste just sat there, patiently waiting to see where they carried the conversation by themselves. “I feel the same way.”

 

Caduceus’ head pricked up, one eyebrow raised. “Really?” He asked, skepticism drifting into his tone. 

 

“The Traveller didn’t help us get away from the Iron Shepherds, and he didn’t warn me or come visit me while I was in there, and… and I thought that maybe he didn’t like me anymore.” Jester looked down at her lap, her voice barely loud enough for them to hear. “And in Nicodranas when we were almost caught by the zolezzo, I would have been in  _ soooo  _ much trouble if I’d actually gotten caught. Like… executed trouble.”

 

“I’m sure the Traveller still likes you.” Caduceus said quietly. “I mean, I like you, so I don’t know why he wouldn’t.”

 

Jester smiled, shuffling closer to Caduceus and leaning against him. “Thanks. He’s gone away before… and he always comes back eventually… so maybe your destiny or plan will come back too.” 

 

Shakäste felt a tiny smile spread across his own face, and he placed a gentle hand on Caduceus’ knee. “No matter how uncertain either of you are, you’ll always have a place in the Mighty Nein.” He said slowly, not wanting to disturb the tender atmosphere that had settled around the campfire, the fire gently fading next to them. 

 

“Yeah. You can always hang out with us.” Jester said, her smile growing.

 

“Once you’re in, you’re in for life.” Shakäste said solemnly. “And if you get arrested, we’ll come and bust you out before anything bad can happen.”

 

Caduceus chuckled. “I think I can handle that. As long as we don’t have too many near-death experiences.”

 

“If we do, we’ll try to make sure they don’t happen to you.” Jester said brightly. 

 

“I’m afraid keeping some of these people away from near-death experiences is like keeping a child from putting everything it touches into their mouth.” Shakäste said wisely. “Theoretically possible, but in practise extremely difficult. But as clerics, we do our best.”

 

“At least it’s more exciting than home, I suppose.” Caduceus said, smiling softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to HeroicOnion who wanted to know what the Clerics were talking about ;)  
> So yeah this is happening at the same time as last chapter. This chapter can also alternately be called "Therapy with Shakäste Part 1" 
> 
> Also I wrote this chapter like two days before episode 36 or 37 came out where Caduceus and Jester actually had their cute heart-to-heart so I was lowkey like 'godDAMNIT' when that episode came out because now it's like: it's already been done! how can I measure up to canon??? But Shakäste is there so Boom. Completely different. Have fun. 
> 
> In general there's always a few things in every episode recently that are eerily similar to things that I've already written or got planned for this fic that give me a heart attack but I guess that means I'm just pretty good at guessing how characters are feeling.


	14. Smoke and Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein chill out in a new town.

“What’cha doing?” An exhausted and bored looking guard dressed in second-hand armour was leaning against the gate, sword resting in its sheath. 

 

“Uh, we want to get into Smoky Bay?” Fjord asked, sharing an incredulous glance with everyone who wasn’t in the cart - currently just Fjord himself, Molly and Beau - before looking back to the guard. It was early evening, with most of the Mighty Nein resting in the cart and bored from the rather monotonous travelling.

 

“How come?” 

 

“Because we heard about the local cuisine, can you just let us in?” Beau said, rolling her eyes from on top of her horse. 

 

The guard blinked up at her for a moment before looking over Fjord and Molly, eyes lingering carefully on the scimitars hanging from Molly’s hip.

 

“Yeah, whatever.” The guard said, calling for someone hidden from view to open the gate and shuffled them inside. 

 

“Well, he certainly takes his job seriously.” Molly said once they were through, eyeing the streets around them cautiously. People wandered the streets like in any other city running errands, but all of them eyed the incoming group of travellers with a cautious eye, subtly looking them up and down like Nott did when she was judging whether someone would be an easy mark or not. 

 

Based on the frowns and the way people quickly hurried along on their business, most of them correctly decided that they would not be an easy mark. Sure, a small child had once managed to steal from them, but only because most of them had been completely drunk and not expecting it. He didn’t remember any other time they’d been robbed so the Schuster’s were a fluke. 

 

“Smoky Bay’s guards don’t exactly have the best reputation for dedication.” Fjord said. “Or a very high life expectancy. Being outside the wall is probably the safest place he could be.” 

 

“Well that sucks ass.” Beau said, squinting suspiciously at the few locals wandering the streets. “Let’s just find an inn.” 

 

There was a general murmur of agreement, and thankfully it didn’t take them long to find the centre of town, since all they had to do was follow the sounds of barfights. 

 

As they arrived in front of one inn with a large sign that Molly couldn’t be bothered to try and read the sign for, a large brute of a human was thrown out, the beginnings of a black eye forming and blood running from a split lip. He clambered to his feet and spat at the now closed door of the inn, before turning around and stomping away. Inside, the sounds of day drinking, barsongs and arguments pierced the walls. It still seemed to be the least chaotic and violent of the cluster of inns around this part of town.

 

“Nice.” Molly and Beau said at the same time as they climbed down at their horses, before glancing at each other with raised eyebrows. Fjord just rolled his eyes, leading the cart and the horses around the inn to try and find a stable to park it in while everyone else - alerted by the cart having stopped for a while - began to pile out, joining Molly and Beau at the front of the inn.

 

“The Tacky Spade?” Jester snorted, peered up at the sign for the inn, her hands on her hips. 

 

“Sounds violent in there.” Nott said, her ears twitching. 

 

“We will be fine.” Caleb said, flipping up the collar on his coat and doing up his scarf so that it properly covered his neck and part of his chin, as the group waited for Fjord to come back before they went inside. 

 

Soon enough Fjord did return and they entered the inn together in a loose group, the squishiest among them sticking to the middle. Molly didn’t consider himself particularly squishy and so stuck near the front, always eager to investigate a new place.

 

The inside of the Tacky Spade was very little beyond what he would expected of a place with such a name. It had obviously seen better days, with the dank smell of alcohol and blood permeating every cracked and withered floorboard. Faded and unknown stains covered the ground and walls, and scratches and holes were littered around the room. It was relatively large, ostensibly allowing more room for fighting, with most tables sequestered off to the sides and leaving a noticeable gap in the middle of the room where a man was currently having a very heated argument with a halfling. Most of the windows were shuttered closed, leaving the interior in low light.

 

The group neatly sidestepped the argument occuring in the middle of the room, pointedly ignoring the suspicious glares and sneaky looks the other patrons, seated in small groups at scattered tables, gave them. Molly distantly noticed that no one was there alone, and no one was without a weapon, and he kept a hand hovering close to his scimitars, even if he doubted anyone would be foolish enough to pick a fight with them after all nine of them walked in together as an obvious group, and one of them was Yasha. 

 

There was a buff half-elf man manning the bar, with thick brown hair tied up in a loose bun and a ruddy face. He’d been watching them carefully when they’d entered but seemed satisfied with something, putting down a bottle and resting both hands on the bar as they approached. 

 

“Welcome to the Tacky Spade. I’m Kennen. What do you need?” He asked, squinting at them all suspiciously and eyeing the more muscular of them with a bit more care. Molly resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

 

“Oh just about…” Molly counted up everyone there even though he already knew damn well how many rooms they would need. “Oh, four double rooms. You do have double rooms, yes?”

 

“Yes, we do. How many nights?” The half-elf scoffed, narrowing his eyes down at Molly, who just smiled pleasantly in return. 

 

Here Molly glanced towards the others, mostly Fjord, shrugging.

 

“Let’s just start with one night for now.” Fjord said, taking a seat at the bar. “Anything interesting to see in this city?” 

 

“Depends on what kind of interesting you’re looking for.” Kennen said, one eyebrow raised. “And how many drinks you’ve bought.”

 

Fjord looked towards the rest of them, who all simultaneously shrugged.

 

“I’ll have a drink.” Beau said, taking a seat next to Fjord. 

 

“Do you have any milk?” Jester asked. Kennen stared at her for a moment, as if trying to decide if she was serious or not. 

 

“Yes...” He finally said, looking over them all again as if he were seeing them in a different light. After getting requests and collecting what was probably too much money to pay for it which they all politely ignored, he passed out drinks and leaned against the wall, looking at them expectantly. “So, what do you want to know?”

 

“Do murder gangs really roam the streets?” Jester asked, ostensibly appearing one hundred percent serious.

 

“What?” If Kennen hadn’t been convinced she was crazy before he almost certainly thought so now. “Where did you hear that?”

 

“Nooooowhere.”

 

“No. There aren’t murder gangs.” Kennen said, scowling. “Not during the day anyway.”

 

“So what is there?” Molly asked. 

 

“Regular gangs, for starters. But you’ll only run into trouble if you’re absolute idiots.” Kennen paused, narrowing his eyes and glancing towards Jester. “Although…” 

 

“Anything else we should be aware of?” Shakäste asked smoothly. “We’re just passing through the city, but we’d rather not be caught unawares.” 

 

Kennen relaxed a little, scoffing. “We all know the rumours about us in the rest of the Menagerie Coast, but it’s not a criminal wasteland. Just keep an eye on your coin purses and don’t pick a fight and you’ll be fine. You were smart to come as a group, if there was only one or two of you I’d be slightly concerned for your safety.”

 

“How many people come through here by themselves?” Caleb asked. 

 

“Not too many, but there’s always some people that are far too trusting in the goodwill of others.” Kennen shrugged. “One or two staying here now, in fact. They’re lucky I don’t try and scam them.” 

 

“Rather kind of you to not do that.” Fjord said slowly. 

 

“More like… basic decency.” Nott said, taking a swig from her flask without a hint of irony at the fact out of all of them there, Caduceus and maybe Shakäste were probably the only ones who had never scammed someone. 

 

“Hey, they’ve got money. Generally a bad idea to fuck with paying customers, and beyond that I don’t really care.” Kennen said, waving a hand dismissively. “Where are you guys headed, anyway?”

 

“Port Damali.” Caleb said.

 

“We’re chasing pirates.” Nott grinned, and Kennen squinted at her for a few moments. Then his eyes flicked back up to the rest of them, all of whom were watching him and waiting, silently daring him to say something.

  
After a few moments of tense silence, Kennen leaned backwards and evidently decided he wanted to survive this conversation. “Sounds idiotic, but whatever. As long as you pay the board, you can be out to overthrow the Hepatica Islands for all I care.” 

 

“Wise policy.” Molly said, taking a pointed sip of his drink and smiling. 

 

Kennen chuckled. “Yeah, well, I know I said we’re not a criminal wasteland here but Smoky Bay doesn’t have its reputation for no reason. The less involved I am in things that may or may not be illegal, the better my life and business is.” 

 

“So you just run your inn and ignore everything shitty that happens just out the front door?” Beau asked, one eyebrow raised.

 

“Yup.” Kennen was shameless, holding up his hands in a gesture of defeat before pouring himself his own drink. “Mind your own business, and the actual criminals got no reason to mug you. Or kill you.” 

 

Molly scoffed into his own drink and passed it off as a cough. Minding one’s own business was a fabulous notion when it came to what people wore, who they had sex with, or other trivial matters that really only affected the person involved. Minding one’s own business when people were in trouble, or a friend needed help? Well, that was just rude. 

 

Keeping ones head down was all well and good to stay alive, but it was far from the kind of exciting life Molly liked living. What good was being in the world if you were afraid of other people every step of the way?  

 

These thoughts ran through his head but he didn’t say them aloud, mostly because Kennen was currently their only source of information, and he had been a relatively good one so far. 

 

Of course, eventually Kennen left to tend to his other customers, all of whom were starting to want to get very drunk as it became nighttime, leaving the Mighty Nein to themselves.

 

“Will we be leaving here tomorrow?” Caduceus asked.

 

“I don’t think we have much of a reason to stay.” Yasha mused, leaning against the bar counter and looking out at the rest of the room. 

 

Molly vaguely listened to the conversation, sipping at his drink at the others debated how long it would take them to get to Port Damali at this rate. Fjord hoped that it would only be about about two weeks of travelling at most, and everyone else was quick to add potential events that would lengthen or shorten the trip, mostly to amuse themselves. The possibilities ranged from the mundane (a bandit attack wrecking their cart) to the fantastical (the Platinum Dragon descends to take revenge on Jester for vandalising his temple that one time, thus necessitating everyone else to make a trip to the Shadow Realm to where Jester was banished to), but it helped the time go by.

 

As the night wore on the bar began to fill and lanterns were lit, bathing the room in an easy orange glow. Everyone there regarded those outside their own groups with obvious mistrust that didn’t wear down once they began drinking. Kennen kept a close eye on any arguments and most everyone seemed happy not to let things get too physical, since apparently the punishment for starting a fight was being thrown out into the streets, whereupon the rest of your friends would have to make the decision to leave and help you get home or let you risk the dangers of nighttime by yourself.

 

Since everyone arrived in groups of about three or four (plus one particularly rowdy group of seven that seemed slightly miffed there was another group larger and buffer than them around), it made Molly take particular notice when one woman came in alone. 

 

She was fairly tall and slender, with a dark green hooded cloak that covered most of her pale face. Half of what was visible was then hidden further by long, stringy black hair that obscured the right half of her face completely, and her only visible eye flickered nervously from one person to the next. Something about her appearance tugged at Molly’s brain, and he opened his mouth to point out her arrival to the others when she laid eyes on him and the others.

 

Instantly her demeanour changed, her posture straightening up and a wide smile growing. “Oh! Hello!” Her voice was sweet and had an accent he could not place, but it hit Molly like a thousand boulders. 

 

He knew that voice! Wordlessly he slapped at the arms of those on either side of him, which happened to be Nott and Shakäste.

 

“Hey-Molly-” Nott hissed, batting his hands away before following his gaze to the woman, who was now jogging across the room to greet them. “Cali!” 

 

The name immediately drew everyone’s attention, and within a few moments Molly could hear nothing but squealing as Jester crossed the floor faster than seemed possible, and soon both women was hugging and squealing and chattering a few miles a minute. 

 

When they finally separated, everyone else walked up to her and Cali gave hugs to each of them whether they wanted one or not. But they were quick enough not to be uncomfortable even for people like Caleb or Yasha, and Cali seemed just so excited to see them all that no one had the heart to refuse her. 

 

Molly couldn’t help smiling at how happy she was, even though he couldn’t quite remember her. He remembered she was a friend, so that was good enough for now. 

 

“It’s so good to see you all! What are you doing here?” Cali asked, her hands clasped together and her smile having not faltered even slightly since she’d noticed them. 

 

“We’re hunting down pirates!” Nott said, climbed up on Caleb’s shoulders. “In Port Damali!” 

 

“Wow!” Cali said, wide-eyed. “That’s so exciting!” 

 

“What are you doing here?” Caleb asked. 

 

“Oh, I heard some former members of my old cult were hiding out on the Menagerie Coast for ambiguous evil reasons, and I heard Smoky Bay is the most ambiguously evil place on the Menagerie Coast, so here I am!” Cali said brightly. Molly blinked, slightly surprised but not as much as he would’ve been if he was hearing this for the first time. Instead, the explanation sounded familiar enough that he could accept it rather easily. Ah, the wonders of incomplete amnesia.

 

“Maybe we can help you look!” Jester said, before suddenly remembering there were eight other people in the group. “Guys, we could totally help her look, right?” 

 

Molly didn’t see any reason why not. It’s not like their mission was particularly time sensitive. Based on the loose shrugs of everyone else, no one had any objection. Perhaps they would stay in Smoky Bay longer than they had thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay Cali!!!!!!!!! I think it was someone who mentioned chapters and chapters ago that Cali was headed towards the Menagerie Coast (Blooming Dark Flower, I think it was you off the top of my head) and at that point, I had already planned to include Cali for this upcoming arc. So first of all, congratulations on unintentionally guessing a plot point. Second of all, I hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> Also I love Cali so much. She's just so earnest and sweet


	15. How Bout Them Cultists?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cali is adorable and I love her.

“Oh Cali! We nearly forgot to introduce you!” Jester, holding Cali by the arm, dragged her over to where Caduceus and Shakäste. “This is Caduceus and Shakäste!”

 

“Pleasure to meet you, dear.” Shakäste said, holding up a hand that Cali took, shaking it politely. “I take it you’ve had an encounter with this group before?”

 

Cali glanced over at the old man after shaking Caduceus’ hand as well. “Yes! They helped me find an… important artifact in the Labenda Swamp.” Her eyes darted around some of the others as she spoke and Molly scoured his brain for everything he could remember about the Labenda Swamp.

 

He remembered some things about  _ a  _ swamp, mostly just a general sense of ‘wow this place stinks’ and ‘oh shit we nearly died again’, both of which were surprisingly common sensations in his memories. Beyond that, details were sparse. He glanced around at the others to see how they were responding. Jester just seemed thrilled to have Cali there, Yasha, Nott and Fjord didn’t seem fussed. Caleb stood there quietly and avoided making eye contact while Beau rubbed at her arms and shuffled a step or two away from Caleb, which no one else seemed to notice. 

 

“Where’s Kiri?” Cali asked, before gasping, her left hand rushing to her face while her right stayed hidden underneath her cloak. “Oh no, she isn’t dead, is she? Oh my gods-”

 

“Kiri’s still alive somehow, don’t worry.” Molly said quickly, before Cali could begin apologising over bringing up the imaginary death of the bird child. “We left her in Hupperdook with a family.” 

 

Cali breathed an audible sigh of relief, lowering her hand. “Oh, thank goodness, I was worried for a second.” She brightened up, looking at them all again. “So what have you guys been doing since I saw you?”

 

Half the group not-so-subtly looked at Molly while the rest just looked between all of them in turn, fully aware of what the most momentous events were since they had left the Labenda Swamp. 

 

“Ooh, you know… stuff.” Beau said without an inch of conviction, cringing even as she said it. 

 

“They picked up Caduceus and I, as you can see.” Shakäste swooped in the rescue, smiling pleasantly and taking Cali’s attention away from Jester flicking Beau on the shoulder for how subtle she was being. “Most recently we’ve just been travelling down the Menagerie Coast.”

 

“We got chased out of Nicodranas.” Molly piped up, happy to have the conversation on anything besides the Events that everyone in the Mighty Nein was undoubtedly thinking about. “And Guar.”

 

Cali appeared suitably impressed. “That sounds really dangerous.” 

 

“It was very exciting! Oh, but before we did we got to see my mom, did I tell you about her?” Jester said, before dropping her voice and whispering. “She’s the Ruby of the Sea!”

 

“Oh!” Cali said, looking blissfully confused and completely unaware about whoever the Ruby of the Sea was. “I think you told me a little bit about her.” 

 

“She’s the best.” Jester said, grinning mischievously. “Someday we’re going to sneak back in and I’ll introduce you. You know, cause right now they want to arrest me and probably execute me like… three times over.”

 

“Oh?” Now Cali looked very concerned. 

 

“Also we have pets.” Caduceus said, prompting Jester and Beau to realise they had left said pets in the cart, racing off with Cali to retrieve them and show them off to her. 

 

“She seems nice.” Shakäste said, squinting down at his mug to see how much was left in it.

 

“She does.” Molly mused absentmindedly, feeling slightly frustrated at how little he remembered her. “What was the important artifact she was talking about again?”

 

The others, minus Shakäste and Caduceus who didn’t react at all, glanced at him the way they always did when he demonstrated a lack of awareness about something that everyone else knew and inwardly Molly felt a part of him shrivel up. Yasha was the first to recover, quickly averting her gaze and beginning to talk before the others could say anything else.

 

“It was a bowl from her old cult that maybe did magic things. I broke it, it was very weak.” She said simply, finishing off her drink. 

 

“Ah.” Molly looked down into his half-empty mug and feeling himself frown ever so slightly. It was annoying, to know there were still so many gaps in his memories. That was all. 

 

Beau, Jester and Cali soon returned, Cali almost tearing up over Nugget and how cute he was, and the group decided to head up to one of their newly rented rooms so they could talk without so many other people around. It was fairly cramped, what with having to fit ten people and four animals (even if one of them was a magical fey being) inside a space designed for far fewer. Still they managed, with Cali, Jester and most of the animals taking one bed, Caleb, Nott, Shakäste and Caduceus taking the other, and everyone else standing around leaning on walls and the door.

 

“I’ve never seen a dog that can do that!” Cali said, marvelling as Nugget blinked all over the room whenever he saw or smelled something even slightly interesting, bumping into everyone and landing on Yasha more often than not. 

 

“He’s very special and smart.” Jester said proudly, letting Cali hold Sprinkle and grinning as she gushed over how soft the weasel’s fur was. 

 

Beau noticeably did not hand off Professor Thaddeus to Cali to hold, mostly because she barely seemed to have a handle on the bird herself. Molly was fairly certain the only reason he hadn’t flown off into the night was because Beau was a regular source of food and potentially a kindred spirit in standing still and glaring. Caleb also kept a hold on Frumpkin, more likely because if he didn’t, Nugget probably wouldn’t leave the poor cat alone. 

 

“Sooooo, how bout them cultists?” Nott said after they spent five minutes watching Cali play with fluffy animals.

 

“Oh, right!” Cali said, giggling as Nugget licked her face. 

 

She tucked some of her hair behind her ear, revealing a hint of black scales on the side of her face that the hair covered. It didn’t stir any real surprise in Molly, which meant he’d probably seen it before, but it was still interesting. Did explain why she kept her hood up and her hair covering that half of her face though. 

 

“Okay, so I heard this one wizard from my cult, Ivory Hayward, she was hiding out in the Menagerie Coast with a couple others, I’m not sure who yet. I’ve been looking around here trying to find her for about a week now, and today I heard from this halfling named Jaymia - she was really nice - that  _ she  _ heard about someone named Ivory going to this other inn called the Open Skull a few weeks ago, so I was going to go check it out tomorrow.” Cali said brightly.

 

“Open Skull? That’s subtle.” Molly said, smirking. “Almost as brilliant as the Tacky Spade.” 

 

“And you were just gonna waltz in there… alone?” Beau asked, one eyebrow raised.

 

Cali shrugged. “I mean, yeah.”

 

“Are you sure that would have been wise?” Caleb asked, cross-legged on one of the beds in the room and petting Frumpkin in his lap. “A place called the Open Skull does not sound pleasant.” 

 

“Well, I haven’t been there yet, but most of the inns with scary names are usually not actually that scary.” Cali said, her eyebrows pinched together. 

 

“It won’t be scary at all if we help her, right?” Jester said. “Then it won’t be a problem!”

 

“What are we planning to do if we find these cultists?” Shakäste asked. Everyone looked towards Cali, her frown deepening a little.

 

“Well, mostly I was hoping to figure out what they’ve been doing since I left. Or find out where any other artifacts are. Maybe. I’m not really sure.” She shrugged lightly, her cheeks flushed. 

 

“Sounds fun.” Beau said, stretching her arms and disturbing Professor Thaddeus perched on her shoulder, hooting with displeasure. “I wouldn’t mind busting up some cultists.” 

 

“Well, any objections to helping out Cali?” Fjord asked, looking around the room. There were none. It was a wonder they ever accomplished anything, Molly thought distantly, since they were so eager to jump on whatever vaguely interesting, potentially dangerous and definitely illegal side quest they could find. 

 

Still,  _ he _ wasn’t about to object. Hunting down cultists with his friends sounded fucking awesome. What better way to spend his time?

 

“So, it’s a plan.” Molly said, getting final confirmations or at least indifferent shrugs from everyone gathered in the room. “We can sort out all the specifics tomorrow.”

 

“Great!” Cali said, jumping up from the bed and clapping her hands together. One of which was scaled and had talons instead of fingers. Ah. Cali became more fascinating with every second. “Oh, I’m so glad I ran into you guys again!” 

 

“We’re glad as well, dear.” Molly grinned, before looking around the room. “Now, how late is it?”

 

“Not even close to midnight.” Caleb said nearly immediately, pointing directly at the not quite fully dark sky outside the window. 

 

“Great! I’m going back to the bar.” Molly continued cheerfully. “Beau, Jester, this is now your room, since the animals have been all over it.” 

 

Everyone glanced towards Nugget, who, having sniffed everything there was in the tiny room, was now rolling over and digging into the sheets on the bed Jester and Cali were sitting on. They’d only been in there for about fifteen minutes, but the distinct smell of a dog who hadn’t been washed for a while was already permeating the air and Molly was  _ not  _ going to risk dealing with it for however long they would end up staying here. 

 

“Ah, shit.” Beau grumbled.

 

“That’s what it’ll smell like soon if you’re not careful!” Molly sang out cheerfully as he flounced out of the room, headed back downstairs to the bar.

 

Most of the others joined him down at the bar soon enough, with only Caleb, Nott, Shakäste and Caduceus staying upstairs. Jester and Beau then had to disappear fairly quickly to take care of their animals, Beau eventually returning while Jester remained upstairs.

 

Those who remained spent most of their time catching Cali up on the more entertaining parts of their most recent adventures, while she did the same for them with her adventures. 

 

“So then it turns out the fucking crime boss is mayyybeeee, probabbbllyyyy definitely Jester’s dad.” Molly said confidently. 

 

“No way!” Cali was suitably impressed and shocked, as she had been for every tale thus far. She was very easily entertained which Molly absolutely loved, because it meant he could take nearly any story and spin it however he wanted and she’d still be enthralled. “Does he know?”

 

“She sent a message to him, but he said-” Molly paused for a solid five seconds to both heighten the dramatic effect and stifle the laughter threatening to explode from him, Cali’s eyes growing wider with every moment. “He said it was  _ preposterous!”  _

 

Cali gasped, nearly dropping her mug. “What an amazing coincidence!”

 

“Yes. And we never would have known if Beau hadn’t committed mail fraud.” Fjord said, grinning into his mug and waggling his eyebrows at the monk. 

 

“Truly, crime saves the day once again.” Beau said, raising her mug into the air and finishing it off in one gulp. “You should all be thanking me, I practically reunited this family myself.” 

 

“I’m not sure they are exactly reunited.” Yasha said, relaxing in her seat next to Molly. “In fact, they are actually all in different places now.”

 

Beau waved a hand in the air, nearly bending over backwards to try and find Kennen the bartender for another round. “Mmmm, details aren’t important.”

 

“Your adventures are all so exciting. I mostly just do lots of researching and reading in libraries and eavesdropping on people.” Cali said, smiling wistfully. There was a flush in her one non-scaled cheek but she’d kept her hood up and seemed to take care not to bring her right arm out from under her cloak as often as she could. 

 

“Libraries can be very interesting places.” Yasha said solemnly. “I know Caleb likes them.” 

 

“Oh, I do like libraries. They’re amazing, actually! Where I grew up we only had one library but all the books in it were on magic and rituals and not history or anything so a lot of stuff I was told as a kid is apparently total bullshit. So there’s always lots of cool new things for me to read in libraries!” Cali said, spinning her currently empty mug with her finger. “I mean, it’s a bit hard for me to find information on all the magical artifacts and people I’m looking for, but I’ve been learning lots about other things. Like, I found out all about Tal’Dorei! It’s this whole other continent on the other side of the world, but I didn’t even know it existed until like, three weeks ago!” 

 

Most of the other just shrugged, but Molly whistled lowly. He’d heard the word ‘Tal’Dorei’ before, but he’d just assumed it was a town, or a city, or a person or something. But a whole other continent? That was massive.

 

“So what did you learn about it?” Molly leaned forwards, genuinely interested in this whole new continent that had apparently existed this entire time. “What’s it like?”

 

“It’s insane!” Cali narrowed her eyes but her smile was as wide as ever, eager to dispense her newfound knowledge. “There’s a whole city,  _ filled  _ with dwarves, and it’s carved into an entire mountain! Not like, outside the mountain or built on the mountain,  _ inside  _ the mountain! It’s called  _ Kraghammer _ !” 

 

“Oh my gods. How do they even  _ do  _ that?” 

 

“I have no idea!” 

 

On the other side of the table, Beau was snorting into her empty mug, while Fjord and Yasha just blinked at the two of them like they were considering saying something but ultimately deciding against it. Molly promptly ignored the lot of them and continued to focus on Cali because it was just now dawning on him that she may be nearly as unaware of things that were common knowledge to the rest of them as he was. 

 

Additionally, she was just so genuine it was easy to get sucked along in conversation with her, even about something as simple as a continent neither of them had known existed until very recently. 

 

And perhaps it was nice to have a friend around who  _ didn’t _ know that Molly had recently spent about a week buried in the dirt on the side of the road. The others tried not to talk about it and he had begun trying not to talk about it, if only because he could see how uncomfortable the topic was for so many of them. They pretended it was in the past but none of them could deny it happened.

 

With Cali… he could. He could pretend it had never happened because she had no idea it had happened, and everything was fine. Just for a little while.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I think about Cali and I tear up. Not really, but I love her so much. I love all the guest characters, all of them. (i actually didn't like Shakäste as much at first, but writing Note I grew to love him just as much as the other guest PCs) 
> 
> Anyway, Cali and Molly should be BFFs and that's just a fact. Cali is an optimistic, enthusiastic ex-cultist with an odd appearance, and Molly is an optimistic, enthusiastic ex-cultist with an odd appearance, and neither of them got a proper education!!! They're perfect!!!
> 
> Fun Facts!   
> With this chapter, we are now just over half the total word count of Nothing But A Note. I still think we'll definitely go over it eventually with Bridge, and we'll DEFINITELY have more total chapters than Note by the end of it. If you're interested in how my writing buffer is going, the ending summary that goes at the bottom of every latest chapter has a fun little counter for you! It says the latest chapter I've finished writing and what day that chapter is scheduled to go up (Australian time, so it might seem a day earlier for some of you). Yay!


	16. Safety In Numbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein do some detective work.

Upon reflection, perhaps waltzing into an inn called the Open Skull and promptly asking everyone in the vicinity if they knew a woman named Ivory Hayward hadn’t been the most… discreet way of finding information. In their defense, there was ten of them, which probably also didn’t help with the whole ‘discreet’ business.

 

After all, a group of six, seven or even nine could be qualified as a normal, albeit slightly large, party. A group of ten? That was more like a gang. And what a colourful, deadly and extremely loud gang the Mighty Nein (and Cali) made. 

 

On the upside, being in amongst a gang of ten meant that few of the Open Skull’s patrons (a building that looked as seedy and crime-infested as the name implied) seemed inclined to start a fight with any of them, lest they end up in a fight with all of them. 

 

So they began gathering information. For some of them, that involved splitting off into smaller groups (never fewer than three, they weren’t idiots) and trying to eavesdrop or start conversations with other patrons. For others, including Molly, it involved doing whatever the fuck seemed interesting and hoping that maybe eventually something useful would come out of it. 

 

Six shots later that somehow ended with him, Beau and Nott crammed in a side room alongside half a dozen halflings and humans, in the middle of the strangest drinking competition he’d ever seen. He still had no idea of the rules and neither did anyone else, but somehow it ended up with a lot of shots and half of them trying to do a cartwheel without kicking everyone else in the room in the face. The only one among them who was even remotely successful was Nott thanks to her small size and relative ability to function whilst smashed beyond hope of recovery, which only led to more drinks for the rest of them while they egged her on to do increasingly elaborate stunts. 

 

“O-okay okay! I got it!” One particularly zealous halfling who had collapsed on the floor ten minutes ago but was still somehow awake and breathing, held up a hand, waving to get everyones attention. “Do-do a flip off of the ke-keg, onto another keg!”

 

“Oooh! Do another shot in the air!” Molly called out, because he had genius ideas like that. Both suggestions were met with rousing cheers from everyone else as Nott climbed on top of one of the kegs they’d emptied, her hands shaking but her eyes alight with the exhilaration of having eight ridiculously drunk people - the vast majority of which were total strangers and potential enemies - cheering her on. 

 

Molly turned to Beau, who was teetering very close to the line of passing out but still holding on. 

 

“Hey, I bet you like… three gold she makes it.” He said, grinning unabashedly. 

 

Beau, sprawled up against the wall like her life depended on it, matched the grin. “Yeah? Three gold she… she  _ does  _ make it.”

 

“Isn’t that what I bet?” Molly asked, squinting and trying to remember the past three seconds.

 

“Fuck if I know.”

 

With their bets settled and most likely to be forgotten within the next minute or so before either of them could pay up, both of them returned to cheering on their friend. Nott, the most popular person in the room and not even disguised at the moment, took a few deep breaths and swigs from her flask before accepting a shot from someone who was so unsteady half the alcohol had spilled from the shot glass by the time Nott got her hands on it. 

 

“Watch!” Nott shouted, her voice unusually confident. “And be amazed!”

 

Molly whooped as Nott flipped through the air, the alcohol in the shot glass going absolutely everywhere but no one really caring. Nott landed squarely on another keg, nearly tipping forwards before righting herself, pumping her arms in the air.

 

Everyone watching went fucking  _ wild _ . Molly was pretty sure he hadn’t clapped that loudly ever. Someone was crying. It was glorious.

 

Until the magic moment was shattered as the door opened. Nine drunks simultaneously whipped their heads around to the intruder, a tall and very muscular half-orc with green skin and a scar-oh shit wait, Molly knew that dude. 

 

“Fjoooorrrrd!” He called out, pointing at his friend with a mug in his hand. Some of the others copied him, until half the room was pointing at Fjord and slurring his name beyond all recognition.

 

Fjord squinted at them, seeming to take in the sight before him - lingering for a particularly long time on Nott standing on top of a keg and downing another long gulp from her flask - before sighing loudly. 

 

“Have you three been here the whole time?” He asked, one eyebrow raised. 

 

“Hey, it’s been great!” Molly said, not about to take any criticism of how he spent his time. “I’ve made lots of new friends. Like this dude!” He grabbed the closest man, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “We’re best friends now, me and… Brodie! Brodie. Me and Brodie.”

 

Brodie, who was almost certainly not actually named Brodie, promptly scrunched up his face before vomiting right in front of them. Molly didn’t even flinch. “See? Best friends.”

 

Fjord stared at him for a moment before sliding his gaze over the others. “Okay, well you may be fine, but I think Beau’s about to slip into a coma.” 

 

Molly did look this time, seeing Beau had slid to the floor and now looked almost half-dead, having fallen asleep without even telling anyone. Which was definitely rude. Fjord shuffled past the halfling who had been lying on the floor, picking up Beau and hoisting her limp body over his shoulder.

 

“Yeah, we’d better get going. The rest of us are about ready to leave. Nott?” Fjord walked back to the door, and Nott promptly began walking on and over people’s heads to cross the room, nearly poking more than one person in the eye or ears. “We haven’t found any leads on Ivory, so we’re heading out.”

 

Oh, shit, they were here to do something, weren’t they? Nott and Molly shared a single panic filled glance that confirmed they’d both forgotten about their mission. Still, there was always a chance to salvage a seemingly unwinnable situation, so Molly let go of Brodie, turning to face the rest of the room.

 

“Hey! Do any of you guys know a lady named Ivory Hayward?” He called out, receiving nothing but blank stares.

 

“What.” Fjord deadpanned, before he could say anything else, Nott cupped her hands around her mouth and called out as well.

 

“She’s a freaky cultist!”

 

“Oooooh!” A chorus of understanding raised from the room, and a few hands were raised. 

 

“I know her! She was creepy as  _ shit! _ ” Someone called out.

 

“Yeah! Her!” Nott said, while Fjord stood there mutely, as nine (well, eight, since Beau was unconscious) drunks accomplished more intelligence gathering in about four seconds than he could apparently do in a whole night. Molly couldn’t help but feel just a little smug, even if it was only happening because everyone involved was too plastered to remember what was supposed to be a secret or not. 

 

“I saw her here like, a week ago!”

 

“S-she left though.”

 

“Her hair was really soft. I touched it and she punched me.” 

 

“Pffft, I saw that!”

 

“Attention!” Molly waved his hands in the air in a way he intended to be very commanding but probably looked ridiculous. Good thing he was too drunk to care. “Does anyone know where she is  _ now? _ ”

 

One man raised his hand. “She went to Solanarose! There are sooooo many cultists in Solanarose.” 

 

“Thanks dude! You’re the best!” Molly cried out, pointing at the man before pivoting on his heel to head out the door and walking straight into the wall instead.

 

“Unbelievable.” Fjord muttered to himself, leading the way from the side room back to the main bar area. Molly followed, glowing from the success of their mission. Nott, walking next to him with far more control of her motor functions, seemed just as smug.

 

“We’re the best, aren’t we?” Molly said proudly, holding down his hand for a high five. Nott accepted it, grinning.

 

“Oh yeah! That Ivory bitch won’t know what hit her!” Nott said, slapping her hand against his. “Jester will be  _ so  _ impressed.” 

 

“Whoa, what were you guys doing?” Cali asked as they joined the rest of the group, who were gathered around a table sipping drinks and looking mildly annoyed. Molly flashed a wide grin as Fjord sat down, gently depositing Beau in a chair next to him while Molly and Nott smiled smugly at the each other.

 

“Only saving the damn day!” Nott announced, earning raised eyebrows from everyone else.

 

“We- and when I say we I mean Nott and I, the absolute geniuses of this group - found out where Avery Hoywood is.” Molly said, holding a hand to his chest and leaning back in his chair.

 

“Ivory Hayward?” Caleb said. Shakäste, Caduceus and Cali seemed impressed, while Yasha just snickered lightly to herself and Jester was barely containing herself. 

 

“Yes, Emery Heywode.” Molly waved a hand dismissively. “Point is,  _ we  _ know where she is. Because we’re the best.” 

 

“Care to enlighten us?” Shakäste said, one corner of his mouth quirking up into an amused smirk.

 

“Solanarose.” Fjord said, cruelly interrupting their moment. He didn’t react to Nott flicking him on the ear for his transgression, continuing to speak. “According to one extremely drunk man, Ivory Hayward is in Solanarose.” 

 

“Sounds fair enough to me.” Yasha said. “When do we leave?” 

 

“He also said there are like, a billion cultists in Solanarose! So like, we basically hit the jackpot!” Nott announced proudly. 

 

“That’s so cool!” Jester said, reaching over the table to high five both Nott and Molly. “I’ve always wanted to visit Solanarose!” 

 

“How come?” Caduceus asked.

 

“I dunno, the Traveller said it was cool!” 

 

Molly pointed at Jester. “See! Traveller seal of approval. I’m magnificent.” 

 

Nott scoffed, puffing her chest out. “ _ We’re  _ magnificent. I backflipped off a keg.”

 

Both Cali and Jester gasped in exaggerated awe, before promptly asking for more details. 

 

“Is Beau alright?” Caleb asked, eyeing the monk carefully. 

 

“She, like these two,” Fjord jerked a finger in the direction of Nott and Molly, the former too busy trying to recreate her backflip (from her chair to the table rather than keg to keg) to notice and the latter flipping him off for no other reason than because he could and it was a funny gesture. “Was on a mission to be the first to get alcohol poisoning.” 

 

“She definitely didn’t win.” Molly smirked, folding his arms. “Nott’s probably had alcohol poisoning for  _ years _ .”

 

“In any case, I think it’s about time to head back to the Tacky Spade for the night.” Shakäste said, standing up and taking a step closer to Beau, maybe to double check she was still breathing. The room was a bit too blurry for Molly to tell himself, so that was probably a good idea. “Cali, are you satisfied?”

 

“Oh, I think so. Solanarose sounds like a good place for cultists to hide.” Cali said, her cheeks flushed from whatever drinks she’d had that night. “I mean, I think so. I’ve never been.”

 

“Neither have I! It’ll be a great experience for us all.” Molly said, standing up and slapping his hands down on the table, determined to make his exit known if they were actually going to be leaving. 

 

He was pretty sure the remaining patrons breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the gang left the Open Skull, walking or stumbling their way back to the Tacky Spade. Another handy thing about travelling in a gang of ten, no petty criminals wanted to mess with them even if a good chunk of them were drunk. Even if Molly spent ten seconds standing in the middle of a street and loudly daring any criminals to come rob him. 

 

Shakäste seemed to think that such a dare would probably result in him getting a crossbow bolt to the face to shut him up, but Molly didn’t think that was very likely. Still, he allowed Shakäste to lead him back to the rest of the group anyway, because he was respectful of the elderly. Yeah. 

 

At some point during the trip back Nott - finally starting to crash from all the alcohol - climbed up on Molly’s back, with her usual piggyback giver Yasha apparently too far ahead in the group for her to bother to chase after. 

 

She was light enough that it didn’t bother Molly at all even in his addled state, so that was how it went.

 

“I’m  _ such  _ a good detective.” Nott murmured.

 

“Yup. Me too. I can replace Jester for you.” Molly said, not even a tiny bit serious. As if anyone could replace Jester for anything. 

 

Sure enough, Nott scoffed. “Pft, no way. You’re only a good detective drunk. Jester and me are great detectives alllll the time.” 

 

“Mmmhmmm.” Molly said, looking down at the ground and hyperfocusing on walking in a straight line. The roads here were cobbled and unkempt, with dozens of places to trip if he wasn’t careful. “Super good.” 

 

“Yeah.” Nott’s voice trailed off a little bit, her head resting in the crook of Molly’s neck. Her skin was rough and her hair was oily and scraggly, tickling at his skin. “You know, your tattoos are cool.” 

 

“I know.” Molly said, rather chuffed.

 

“Where’d you get em?” 

 

“Don’t remember.” Molly paused. “I think someone in the circus helped me get them. But I don’t remember them super well anymore.”  

 

“Oh.” Nott’s voice didn’t sound surprised, or even regretful. It was just a simple ‘oh’, the kind a drunk had when you told them a simple piece of information they had momentarily forgotten about. There was a long pause. “How much do you remember about the circus?”

 

Molly shrugged as best he could with a goblin hanging off his shoulders. “Some things. I remember Gustav and Toya and Mona and Yuli and all them, but the further back it goes… the less I know. I remember more recent things mostly. Like you guys.” 

 

“Are you mad at us for letting you die?” Nott’s voice was solemn, and Molly had a distant feeling that he would not be having this conversation if not for the fact that Nott was far drunker than usual. 

 

“You didn’t really  _ let  _ me die.” Molly said, glancing up to see where the others were. Only Shakäste was close enough to really hear what they were saying if he was even listening, the others mostly clustered up ahead and chattering. “I kinda threw myself into death.”

 

“Yeah, but are you mad?”

 

“Nah. I’m not mad.” Molly said, frowning as he tried to remember the other conversations he’d had with everyone about his death, remembering the common threads between them all. “Do you think it’s your fault?”

 

“No.” Nott said that surprisingly quickly. “I’m not the one who killed you, so it’s not my fault. That’s dumb.”

 

She sighed, leaning into him a little more. “It was just sad. I missed you, and everyone else missed you.”

 

“Aw, everyone? Even Beau and Caleb?” Molly teased, silently feeling a twinge of happiness at that. It was a nice feeling, even if it was something he’d already known.

 

“Yeah. Beau got… sh-she really wanted to kill Lorenzo. Caleb said he wasn’t upset but I think he was. He says he’s not upset a lot of times when I think he is.” 

 

Molly felt himself frown, processing this information far slower than he normally would. 

 

“And you?” He finally asked.

 

There was a pause, and he felt as well as heard Nott exhale slowly. “I was sad. I don’t want any of us to die.”

 

“I’ll try my best not to run into a glaive next time.” 

 

“Not just you. Everyone. Caleb and Caduceus got really hurt fighting that water genie, Beau falls unconscious all the time, Yasha’s always taking hits, Jester gets in trouble so much… I don’t want anyone to die again.” Nott’s voice had gotten quieter and quieter, and Molly only now realised that he could barely hear it. Her breathing was getting slower and distantly he knew that she’d be asleep very soon. 

 

“Yeah.” Molly’s words slipped out without anything stopping them. “Me neither.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So!! This is a personal favourite chapter of mine, mostly because it's ripe full of things I love! Detective work, hijinks, a bunch of literary devices I won't name for fear of tipping you guys off to my Plans(TM).
> 
> This chapter also brings us to a few different milestones! With this chapter, the Molly Lives AU (so, including Note along with Bridge here) has officially gone over 100k words!!!! This is totally wild for me, and I'm really proud of myself. 
> 
> The other milestone this chapter brings us to is the second Word Doc for Bridge, as the first 15 chapters were contained on my first word doc, alongside all my planning and worldbuilding. For this story I'm being a bit more organised with my Word Docs, I'm trying to keep it to 15 chapters per word doc, and I'm nearly about to start a third one.
> 
> More fun facts not distinctly related to this chapter: I'm doing NaNoWriMo! My ultimate goal with it is to finish this fic (I'm not counting all the chapters I wrote prior to November 1st, and if I finish the fic before I hit 50k I'll see if I can pump out some one-shots to get me over the line. 
> 
> Anyway, so so far I'm written about 16k, which translates to 6 chapters (in two days, so I'm pretty proud of myself) and counting all my other chapters for Bridge that I've written so far, there's a total of approximately 74k words of this fic :) so yeah, we've already gone beyond Note's word count and I'm nowhere close to finishing yet. Hooray for NaNoWriMo! 
> 
> Hopefully all of you will still be around once we're done here, because I've been loving writing this story so far, and there's lots of exciting things ahead!
> 
> Also: what the fuck was episode 40 I was afraid for the Mighty Nein's life for the first half and afraid for Travis Willingham's life the second half like oh my god I haven't been that stressed since Beau tried to tank a hydra by herself and came within one crossbow bolt from Nott from dying (except that was literally episode 39 i am just very stressed for my children all the time every day)


	17. Nice Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly nearly gets murdered.

Molly’s head pounded with all the regrets that usually came with drinking so far beyond one’s limit that you couldn’t remember there was a limit to begin with. Light filtered in past his eyelids and muffled sounds of the streets outside stopped him from falling back into the blissful, painless sleep, and within a few moments the typical raging headache killed whatever remaining chance he had left.

 

Groaning, Molly cracked open one eyelid to find himself facing the wall of the room he had presumably either fallen asleep in or been dumped in by one of the others. He still had his coat on, his scimitars attached to his hip, so chances were he’d fallen asleep like that and everyone had just left him there like that.

 

The sound of someone snoring pounded at his aching head and Molly groaned even louder, rolling over and bumping one foot into a mound at the end of the bed. Straining his head to see as much as he could without sitting up, Molly saw a dark green cloak and mop of darker green hair, twitching and breathing steadily.

 

Looking to his left, Molly saw the source of the snoring, Beau sprawled out on her back on the other bed in the room, one arm hanging off and half the blankets on the ground. Distantly Molly wondered what horrific turn of fate had led him to having Beau as a roommate, before vague memories of the night before flashed in his mind.

 

Presumably, the others must have decided to just dump all of the drunkards in one room for the sake of convenience. Fair enough.

 

Quickly taking into account his surroundings - both Nott and Beau still more or less dead to the world, looking through a window revealed the sun already quite high in the sky - Molly shuffled through his pockets, making sure he hadn’t lost anything at some point during the previous night.

 

Thankfully, everything was where it should be, and by the time Molly had done his inventory check his mind had cleared enough to wonder what the others were up to. It wasn’t quite mid-day yet if he had to guess, but probably getting somewhere close to it.

 

Neither of the sleeping women stirred at all as he got up, briefly debating how much they would hate him if he painted on their faces with his disguise kit. Eh, he’d decide on that once he checked on the others. The corridor was empty when he poked his head out and he frowned, quickly noting which room he was in and walking to the next one that they had rented.

 

It was empty, though the beds were neatly made and the room clean as if no one had slept in it. A distinct smell of flowers and tea lingered in the air, so Molly figured it had been Caduceus and Yasha’s room. The next room he checked, however, wasn’t empty, and far messier.

 

Caleb was sitting on the bed on the right side of the room, leaning against the wall while flicking through a thick and very boring looking book that laid on his lap. A few more books were stacked next to him and a bag lay at the foot of the bed. Frumpkin was stretched out on the floor of the room in a sunny spot, purring contentedly. The other bed in the room was shoddily made, but upon noticing his friend Molly didn’t give the rest of the room a second glance.

 

Frumpkin noticed Molly as soon as he opened the door, but Caleb did not, staring intently at whatever he was reading. A few loud meows quickly got his attention, though, and he blinked, before looking towards the doorway.

 

“Oh, Molly. You’re awake.” Caleb glanced down towards the book again before marking the page and closing it. “Are Beau and Nott?”

 

“Not at all.” Molly said, feeling a tiny knot of worry that he hadn’t even noticed building up release itself. “Where’s everyone else?”

 

“They went out to try and corroborate the information you and Nott gained last night. I volunteered to stay behind to wait for you three to wake up.”

 

That information swum into Molly’s brain, being accepted as a reasonable explanation for the others not being around before quickly being forgotten about as his body continued to remind him why he didn’t normally drink as much as he had last night.

 

“Brilliant.” He said simply to fill the space. Caleb looked at him for a few seconds before averting his gaze, reaching for the bag at the bottom of the bed and beginning to pack away his books into it. “Uh, when did the others leave?”

 

“A few hours ago. Jester sent a message a little while ago.”

 

Molly nodded, satisfied that the others were perfectly fine. Caleb stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, shuffling up to where Molly stood in the doorway. “Do you want something to eat? We can wake the others and go downstairs.”

 

As if on cue Molly felt his stomach rumble, almost in time with the throbbing in his head.

 

“Gods, yes.” He said, trying to remember if he’d eaten anything at all last night.

 

Caleb nodded once before taking a step forward, silently asking Molly to move out of the way. He complied, a light uneasiness settling into his brain on top of the murkiness of his killer hangover.

 

They went back to the room where Beau and Nott were, finding the both of them still unconscious, and Molly’s previous idea popped back into his head.

 

“Are you alright?” Caleb asked as Molly ripped through his pockets for his well-worn and well-loved disguise kit, one eyebrow raised as he pulled out the paints. He was no artist like Jester, but he didn’t need to be.

 

“What are you doing?” Caleb tried again as Molly passed over Nott and went straight to Beau, praying to every god he could remember the name of that she wouldn’t wake up.

 

Hey Traveller, you like pranks, right? So please to all things you find holy, don’t let her wake up.

 

“Are you sure that is wise?” Caleb made no move to stop him and Molly could have sworn he heard a slight lilt of amusement in his usually deadpan voice (or maybe the accent was just fucking with him in his hungover state, but Molly preferred the former option).

 

“Oh, goodness no. But it’s hilarious.” Molly took a step back to admire his handiwork, the swirling patterns and one or two curses now painted on Beau’s face. Tucking away his disguise kit again, he shook Beau’s shoulder to wake her up, narrowing avoiding getting punched in the stomach for his efforts.

 

“Wha-what the shit Molly?” Beau ran a hand through her hair, narrowing missing getting some paint on her hand and ruining the whole joke. Molly quickly took a few steps back, both to give her some space and get a head start in case he needed to run at some point in the near future.

 

“Gods, I feel like shit.” Beau sat up, and Molly had to turn around to stifle his laughter because he truly was a horrible artist. Behind him, Caleb was shaking Nott awake, the goblin groaning and moaning like she was about to die.

 

Molly inched ever closer to the safety of the corridor outside, steeling his best poker face as he did. “Welcome back to the land of the living, you two.”

 

Nott just groaned even louder, complaining about it being far too bright to get up. Caleb just patted her consolingly on the top of the head, explaining to the both of them that they probably needed to eat something.

 

“Where’s the others?” Beau asked,her voice still thick with sleep and her face contorted in pain from the headache she, Molly and Nott most likely shared.

 

“Out finding out if Ivory really is in Solanarose.” Caleb said. “They’re alright.”

 

Beau just stared at them, confusion plain as day on her face, and Molly suddenly remembered that Beau had been completely passed out by the time he and Nott had saved the day with their excellent investigating and interrogating skills.

 

“Long story short, we think Cali’s cult people are in Solanarose, which is apparently a place that exists.” Molly said, shrugging his shoulders. “Me and Nott found out cause we’re amazing.”

 

“Was that before or after you took two shots and then kissed someone to see if it would be like you’d each only had one?”

 

Molly could not remember doing _that_ at all, but it did sound like something he would do. Caleb, for his part, was now squinting at Molly and looking very confused.

 

“That is not how it would work at all.” He said slowly.

 

Molly waved a hand dismissively. “Ahhhhhh, sure it is.”

 

“It’s… definitely not.”

 

“Ehhhhh-”

 

“Oh my god Beau what happened to your _face_!” Nott had finally removed her face from where she had been whining into the bedsheets and now looked horrified. Caleb made a strange strangled sound that could have been a laugh or a warning, and he quickly held up his hands to reassure Beau he’d had no part in this. Molly had a split second to stop himself from bursting into laughter, taking one pre-emptive lunge towards the door in the few seconds of safety he had remaining.

 

“What?” Beau touched the half-dried paint on her face, confusion morphing into realisation as she looked down at her hands. Realisation then swiftly transformed into pure rage as her eyes locked straight onto Molly, or rather where Molly would have been had he stayed still.

 

Since Molly was not an idiot, he had taken off down the corridor, cackling gleefully as he went.

 

There were several thumps, followed by the heavy footsteps of a pissed off and hungover monk.

 

“MOLLY YOU BITCH!” Beau’s voice reverberated through the corridor, sending a pang of pain through Molly’s head. An ominous precursor of what would come if he were caught.

 

He made it halfway downstairs before death herself caught up to him.

 

* * *

 

 

Twenty minutes later Molly sat proudly at a table, paint smeared across his face and coat and a headache that was now ten times worse than it had been when he’d woken up. Beau sat on the other side of the table, her face now clean with the only remains of Molly’s prank being a few spots of paint in her hair and some stains on the neck of her fancy reversible jacket.

 

Had it been worth it? Definitely.

 

“... You can wash that off, you know.” Nott said, squinting at Molly from where she was sitting in between him and Caleb. With Beau on the other side of the table the four of them handily took up one half of the table, giving all of them a good view of the rest of the tavern.

 

“Nah, I’m good.” Molly said happily, taking a very deliberately slow sip of his drink.

 

“I do not understand what you were trying to accomplish.” Caleb said.

 

“He was trying to piss me off.” Beau said, more relaxed now that she’d gotten her initial anger out of her system and some food in front of her.

 

Without confirming or denying it, Molly stuck out his tongue at her, which she returned. It was hilariously childish and he loved it.

 

“You’re always so wound up, I figured some painting would do you good.” He said, which was more or less the truth. Beau had always seemed so tightly wound and on edge, and he’d only noticed it more than ever since his return. It was often hidden behind a veneer of chill and devil-may-care attitude, but it never took much to set her off.

 

Beau scoffed, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact, and Caleb shook his head lightly, but Molly didn’t retract his statement, leaning back in his chair and continuing to smile smugly as they ate their food. It was an early lunch, but since all of them but Caleb had missed breakfast, they didn’t care so much about the timing of it all.

 

“Should we go out and find the others after this?” Nott asked. Her hangover didn’t seem as bad as Molly and Beau’s despite the fact that she’d drunk at least as twice as much as them combined. Still, her voice was a little shakier than usual, and she’d complained twice about wanting to go back to bed.

 

“Do we even know where they are?” Molly asked, looking towards Caleb.

 

The wizard shrugged. “Jester said she would send a message if they found something, or if something went wrong, but the last time she sent one she was just checking to see if you were awake yet.”

 

“Sucks you got babysitting duty.” Beau said, her head resting on the table and her fingers massaging her temples.

 

“I was able to read. I was okay with it.” Caleb’s voice dropped a few decibels and he frowned, but he frowned so often it was hard to tell if there was any particular reason to it. Still, there was something strange in the air, and Molly could sense it.

 

“It was very nice of you to wait for us.” Nott said, looking slightly uncertain or pained about something. Perhaps it was just the mutual hangovers. Molly shook his head, trying to get rid of the lingering murkiness from the alcohol.

 

An uneasy silence settled over the four of them, all aware that _something_ was off, but none of them either able or willing to put a finger on what it was. Molly didn’t like it, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and feeling his tail flick at his ankles.

 

He stared down into his drink, as if the water would offer any answers. “We could go looking for them after we’re finished eating.” He suggested. Meeting up with the rest of the Mighty Nein sounded very pleasant right now.

 

“Maybe.” Beau said, the other two offering nothing in the way of agreement or objection.

 

Molly was racking his brains, trying to understand the source of his sudden uneasiness. Beau didn’t seem upset at his prank anymore, and he couldn’t think of anything else that had happened in the past few days that might have caused it. Unless it all came back to him, as things seemed to always do these days.

 

The answer felt close but still so far away, and he frowned, unwilling to deal with this kind of awkwardness any longer than he had to.

 

“Come on, at the very least we can go outside and stretch our legs.” He said, wiping the frown from his face. “It’ll be safe enough, even with just the four of us.”

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Molly felt his brain make the connection, almost in slow motion. Just the four of them. Him, Caleb, Beau and Nott. Of course. This was the first time it had been just the four of them, just him, Caleb, Beau and Nott since…

 

The last time it had been just the four of them, things had gone very wrong, very fast.

 

The other three froze up, even if it was just for a moment. Stricken with dread and realisation, Molly shut his mouth, even though in the back of his mind he knew this was a far different scenario. The rest of the Mighty Nein were perfectly fine. Jester had sent a message to Caleb not so long ago, even.

 

“I wouldn’t mind going to find the others.” Nott’s voice was quiet, her eyes not meeting anyone else’s.

 

Beau’s hands had curled into fists at the sides of her head before she pulled her arms to her side as if noticing Molly glancing at them, her shoulders squaring and tensing up. “Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.”

 

Molly’s eyes flickered to Caleb, the wizard’s frown now deeper than before and sitting almost scarily still in his seat. Frumpkin meowed from the floor, before suddenly appearing in Caleb’s lap.

 

It was a different situation with them than with the others, Molly knew somewhere in the back of his mind. The four of them, they’d been the ones who’d been left behind. Only for Molly to leave them behind again, very violently.

 

“Today is much nicer than the last time it was just the four of us.” Molly said slowly. Should he really be poking the proverbial bear? Perhaps not. Still, Molly had poked a lot of bears in his lifetimes, so he was fairly confident he knew if the poking crossed into throwing bricks.

 

Nott, Caleb and Beau all glanced up at him before almost immediately averting their gazes as soon as he made eye contact. Molly frowned lightly but tried to ignore it, trying to keep things light. But perhaps this was one of the many conversations that had to happen. He’d already spoken about it a little with Nott, perhaps it would be better to just… get it over with now.

 

After all, who knew if just the four of them would ever find themselves alone like this again?

 

“Were you guys alright after I died?” An alarm bell began to ring as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, an irritatingly familiar alarm bell of ‘ _bad choice bad idea why did you do that_ ’ because Molly temporarily forgot that asides from Nott, these were some of the people he knew the least about.

 

He knew more about Caduceus’ life and backstory than he did Beau and Caleb, and he’d known Caduceus for a fraction of the time. He didn’t even know Beau’s last name, so how could he ever expect either of them to start talking about their feelings right off the bat?

 

Sure enough, Beau scoffed bitterly. “Alright? You’re the one who _died_.”

 

“We were fine.” Caleb said, his voice painfully neutral. Two answers that gave him almost nothing.

 

Nott opened her mouth before closing it again, a conflicted look on her face and her ears falling against the side of her head.

 

Molly was almost certain he’d misstepped somewhere, but Beau’s flippant response, Caleb’s measured certainly, something about it set him on the defensive. And his first instinct? Sarcasm. “Well, I know I died. But the death itself was actually quite peaceful. It’s the living that get all the trauma from it.”

 

“Pfft. We’re fine. I mean, it sucked and you were dead, but you’re alive again- so-” Beau’s eyebrows knitted together and she threw her hands up in a vague ‘whatever’ gesture.

 

“It’s over. You’re back now, so it’s over.” Caleb stood up, looking past Molly in the direction of the door outside the inn. “Let’s go find the others.”

 

Beau didn’t need to be told twice, chugging what remained of her drink before standing up and stomping towards the exit of the inn, her arms folded. Caleb followed her, holding Frumpkin in his arms and still frowning.

 

Molly was left there, frowning and fighting that desire to chase after them about it because no one else had been fine until now, but he was fairly certain that pushing it would be a good way to get beaten up twice in one day. A small green hand fell onto one of his, and her glanced to the side to see Nott.  

 

“Are they _actually_ alright?” Molly said, belatedly standing up and running a hand through his hair.

 

“They’ll be okay. They just want to sort it out themselves.” Nott glanced past him in the direction the other two had vanished, and not for the first time Molly wished beyond anything that he hadn’t died. So many things had changed because of that, but at least a lot of it the others were more or less willing to talk about. But the time in between his death and the others being rescued? There were so many blank spaces. So many feelings that he hadn’t been told about. So many details that had been left out, and three people unwilling to share them.

 

“I don’t suppose they’ll talk to you about it.” He said bitterly, the two of them beginning to walk towards the exit.

 

Nott shrugged. “Caleb doesn’t really want to. You’re back now, you know? So things will go back to normal eventually… I haven’t really talked to Beau about it at all.”

 

Molly didn’t respond. It sure would be nice if things could go back to normal, or as normal as they could be. Back to how it had been before he’d died, before the four of them had woken up alone, before Lorenzo. Back when one of the worst things that had happened to them was most of them getting robbed by a small gnomish child. Those had been nice days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet
> 
> i don't have much to say for this chapter, because NaNoWriMo has been wild and sapping up all my smart comment energy. Plus side, I hit 32k last night! I'm hoping to get to 40k today if I can, because i have no self control and i lowkey want to beat everyone else even though it's not a competition because I'm super competitive. So we'll see how that goes.
> 
> Oh, and I finally started the third Google Doc. I think it'll probably be the last, probably. So things are going well.


	18. Yet He Stayed Anyway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author takes a dive into the mind of our favourite self-loathing wizard.

Caleb, in general, did not enjoy confrontations. It felt vaguely hypocritical, since these days he spent more times in fights or on the way to one than he did doing almost anything else, but he far preferred peace and quiet and not having to thinking about fights and arguments.

 

It was hard to tell which he disliked more, fights with actual people or arguments amongst his… companions. Nott called them friends, but Caleb didn’t. Acquaintances, maybe. Perhaps even valued companions. Powerful allies, definitely. Calling them friends was just begging for the universe to come and strike them down for his hubris in deciding he was allowed to have more than one friend. Even considering Nott as important as he did left him on thin ice in terms of how many good things he was allowed to have in his life.

 

The fact that they were all together again was irrelevant. They’d been lucky. Extraordinarily lucky. There was always that creeping feeling in the back of Caleb’s mind, the sinister voice that told him with every passing second that they were all still there and alive that it was only a matter of time before their extraordinary luck ran dry and the tentative strings that held their group together would snap or vanish or be cut or burn…

 

With each battle and argument, that sinister voice told him that was it. Sure, it may only be a simple fight with some bandits, or a tiny argument over what to do next. But one uncannily aimed spell, one lucky arrow, one misplaced insult or jab, and then that would be it. It was a matter of time. It was always a matter of time, even if this time Caleb found himself desperately hoping that the time wouldn’t run out.

 

The Mighty Nein could be different. (No it can’t.)

 

They’d survived Lorenzo. (Had they?)

 

They were getting better. (Were they?)

 

He didn’t want to run away from them, not even if things somehow got worse again. (Which they eventually would.)

 

It was a frustrating and nerve wracking dichotomy, Caleb’s newfound realisation that he _wanted_ the Mighty Nein to somehow be the thing that breaks the loop of everything good in his life eventually falling, versus the horrific inevitability that there was _nothing_ that could break that loop.

 

It was only a matter of time, and he was a fool for imagining otherwise.

 

Yet he stayed anyway. Even as these thoughts haunted him while Beau scowled and fiddled with a copper piece in her hand, the two of them on horses bringing up the rear of the group as they travelled along to Solanarose.

 

Molly was at the front of the group, chatting amicably and very loudly with Caduceus about various types of tea. Apparently one of the snatches of memories Molly had of his time at the circus included Yuli going into a tearful midnight tirade (the context of which Caleb did not manage to overhear) about her favourite kinds of tea, which Molly had adopted as his own favourites in lieu of much actual experience with tea himself. Fjord and Shakäste were travelling on either side of the cart in content silence, shooting each other a knowing glance whenever the tea discussion got a bit louder than usual (always thanks to Molly).

 

That left the four other girls of the party (including Cali) and the three pets in the cart, where they were apparently having a delightful time. It was harder to make out their conversation due to the illusion spell muffling all sounds so that regular talking just sounded like someone was speaking with a hand over their mouth, but Caleb could imagine they were enjoying themselves, and would probably be severely disappointed the next time they swapped who was on the horses. They'd been travelling for a few days since leaving Smoky Bay, passing through another large city state, Port Zoon, without much trouble.

 

They hadn’t yet come up with a plan of what they would do once they got to Solanarose, though Caleb didn’t doubt that whatever they did come up with wouldn’t survive for longer than two minutes. Cali and the others had found out some more details about Ivory Hayward’s whereabouts whilst Caleb had been busy babysitting, as Beau had put it. Solanarose was commonly known only as the smallest and one of the most boring city-states on the Menagerie Coast, with nothing particularly interesting ever happening to it these days. It was also one of the oldest city-states, with sprawling catacombs, tunnels and hidden rooms lost to time. Quite a few spells and magical items had been carefully crafted within the walls of Solanarose, and once Caleb had imagined it to be a wonderful place to visit, rich with history and importance.

 

Of course, apparently all of this combined to make it the perfect hotbed for cultists to hide out in, but hey, every city has its quirks, such as an abandoned temple on the outskirts of the oldest part of the city where Ivory Hayward and a few of her closest companions had set up alongside some fellow cultists in order to accomplish… something that was presumably very evil and deadly.

 

Caleb was not particularly looking forward to fighting cultists, partly because of his previously-mentioned disinclination towards fights and in general and partly because his only impression on what to expect was Cali, and some aspects of Cali (despite the woman in question being generally very cheerful and pleasant) were slightly disturbing. Her appearance was one thing, but something he could easily get over, considering the company he usually kept. What her appearance implied about her heritage and family history was a little more concerning, and everything she had described about her past with the cult and the magic she had apparently been involved in spoke to things that Caleb would much rather _not_ be involved with.

 

Of course he would go fight the cultists anyway, because he had decided not to run away from the Mighty Nein and as such had signed himself up for automatic participation in stupid ideas like that.

 

Stupid ideas that would probably lead them straight to the disasters he was hoping to avoid, disasters that they’d already gone through, since none of them seemed eager to stop sticking their noses where they didn’t belong for the sake of money or helping a… acquaintance.

 

That included himself of course, since despite everything that had happened to him he still insisted on going along and tempting fate, something he’d been hesitant to do before joining the Mighty Nein. So many of the group had such an invincible, indestructible attitude towards life, like nothing could keep them down for long, it was hard for some of it not to rub off on him no matter how utterly stupid he knew the notion was.

 

Not even Lorenzo had beaten down that attitude entirely. Not even Molly’s death had tempered it. Molly himself only seemed to have come back even hungrier for adventures and dangerous scenarios, as if he knew death could never hold onto him for long. It was baffling. Of all of them, Caleb would have expected Molly to be the most affected by it all, but instead he had flippantly turned the question “How are _you?”_ on him, Nott and Beau, which didn’t make sense.

 

Nott and Beau _had_ been affected, sure. Caleb had seen it himself, in the way Nott had hugged Jester so tightly after they’d rescued her, how Beau didn’t sleep properly for nearly a week after killing Lorenzo despite Caleb’s spell guaranteeing safety, the monk staying awake half the night looking out into the darkness for threats that never came. She’d stopped that by now, for the most part, but that didn’t mean she was over it.  

 

Caleb though? He was fine. Lorenzo and all the pain and struggle he had wrought on them had been another instance of the universe heaping on punishment to him for daring to believe that things could maybe get better (yet a part of him still believed it), a tragic series of events that Caleb had been dreading for as long as he’d known them. Molly’s death had nearly been that final straw, the final terrible moment that got his heart pumping and eyes searching for the closest escape route. To take off running with Nott and leave Beau behind, leave Keg behind, leave Molly’s body behind. Leave the Mighty Nein behind, in favour of safety on the run and a future that didn’t involve facing down Lorenzo.

 

Yet he stayed anyway. Because he was an idiot of the highest calibre. And they had beaten Lorenzo and somehow gotten through to the other side with all of them more or less intact. That had never happened before. All things considered, in the end the entire endeavour had been a rousing success and so Caleb was fine. Far worse things had happened to him and he was fine. He’d never slept well anyway and he was fine. The creeping feeling in the back of his mind still reminding him that even this peace was only temporary was always there and he was fine. It was only a matter of time before they faced something they couldn’t beat, before something terrible happened again and then he would run away like he always used too… but he was fine.

 

Caleb sighed inwardly, thankful the bulk of his scarf, coat and the books held within said coat concealed any physical movement, not that anyone would have noticed anyway. The only one who could was Beau, and she had been stewing in her own thoughts for a while. It was slightly disconcerting, since Beau very much a woman of action, but having some cultists to punch would probably go a long way in helping her blow off whatever steam she was holding on to. The best thing Caleb could do for that was clear the way for her to punch as many cultists as possible. At least her coping methods helped the group, he supposed.

 

The skies were cloudy as they continued to travel, the path between Smoky Bay and Solanarose dipping close to the coastline even as the geography rose up into cliffs that met the ocean, the pounding of waves against rock crashing into Caleb’s eardrums as they walked. The road veered dangerously close to the edge and he distantly wondered who had decided that would be a good idea, before noting that it probably hadn’t originally been that close, but rather the cliffs had been slowly worn away by years of erosion. Given a few more decades or centuries, and travellers would likely be going along a completely different path.

 

The view was nice, he supposed. Nice enough that when Jester poked her head out of the enchanted cart to see where they were, she insisted they stop (even though it wasn’t anywhere close to night time) for a rest break, just to admire it. Cali spoke up her agreement to the idea and Shakäste suggested a break might be a good idea, so that was that.

 

They parked the cart and horses a safe distance away from the edge and left them there along with Nugget and Professor Thaddeus. The dog because Jester feared it would blink itself off the cliff, and the owl because the owl didn’t feel like moving from its perch on the side of the cart, still just within the limits of the enchantment so that it didn’t appear like half an owl was sticking out of a crate.

 

The party set themselves up at the cliff’s edge, some closer to the precipice than others. Beau didn’t hesitate to sit herself down at the very edge, dangling her legs over and threatening to murder anyone who so much as joked about pushing her off. Shakäste joined her there while everyone else kept at least a few steps away from the edge. Caleb kept himself about five feet away from the edge, sitting cross legged next to Nott and accepting some food from Jester and a cup of tea from Caduceus, listening contentedly to the others chatter and gush over the view and the ocean while Frumpkin’s familiar presence settled purring in his lap, a welcome distraction from his thoughts.

 

The wind whipped at them and Caleb looked out at the ocean, stretching out in every direction with boats and islands dotted intermittently, the hazy outline of Tal’Dorei’s coastline a vague presence at the very edges of the horizon. The water was a bright, brilliant blue, sparkling in the sunlight that peeked through the clouds scattered in the sky, casting darker shadows on the water.

 

Caleb had once imagined running away to Tal’Dorei. Perhaps a continent was far enough away from his past that it would never catch up to him. He could catch a boat and sail across the ocean to freedom and safety. He could start a new life, not have to constantly look over his shoulder for Ikithon or… anyone else from his past.

 

Of course, he’d realised eventually that nowhere was far enough away to run from what he’d done, who he was, so he had abandoned that hope alongside all his other far-fetched ideas of places to run.

 

“Distracted?” The voice was light and playful, and Caleb glanced up to see Mollymauk, a soft smile on his face as opposed to his usual broad grin. The tiefling patted Nott on the head before sliding down to sit on the other side of Caleb.

 

“Don’t patronise me, Tealeaf.” Nott scowled in Molly’s direction, but there was no real malice behind her words. “I’ll stab you.”

 

Molly held up his hands in surrender, quickly apologising. Nott grumbled but seemed satisfied, returning to her current preoccupation of counting out various rings and trinkets she had stashed in her pockets, boots, and who knows where else.

 

“Do you need something?” Caleb asked, warily remembering his last conversation with Molly and how that ended. Thankfully, Molly had either forgotten about it entirely or didn’t seem inclined to continue it, pulling out his deck of cards.

 

“I thought you might like a reading. I’ve mostly forgotten how to do them, but I’d like to remember, and what better way to remember how to do something than to do it.” Molly said, spreading out the cards in her hands with one practised movement and holding them towards Caleb. “You can get one too Nott.”

 

Caleb didn’t move for a second, looking down at the cards held out in front of him and considering. The few moments of hesitation was enough for Nott to decide she wanted a reading, plucking a card from the deck without further instruction and turning it over.

 

It depicted an anvil sitting on the workbench, the aesthetic of the cards design reminiscent of the stained glass windows one might find in an old temple, brightly coloured and objects split into fractals. The cards were worn and scratched, but in surprisingly good condition for all they and their owner had been through.

 

“The Anvil.” Molly said aloud, taking the card from Nott and looking down at it. “I’m pretty sure that’s a good one.”

 

Nott hmphed smugly, seeming pleased. “Of course it is.” Caleb said, as Molly tucked the card back into the deck. Nott deserved a good card, just as she deserved all good things.

 

“Well, Mister Caleb? Would you like a reading?” Molly asked, waggling his eyebrows and looking at him hopefully.

 

Caleb put no real faith into things like tarot. He already knew that Molly’s cards were marked, and he already knew that his future inevitably held only terrible things anyway. Despite all of that, he took a card from the deck. It depicted what looked like an ancient chariot of some kind, the kind that were only used for niche gladiator-like races, a person standing on the chariot with one arm raised high, pointing forwards. The entire card was coloured in soft and warm yellows, oranges and greens.

  
“The Chariot.” Molly read aloud the small caption on the bottom of the card that Caleb had already read. “Oh, I think I remember a bit about this one! It represents freedom, and breaking away from your past.”

 

Caleb narrowly stopped himself from chuckling out loud, because of course that would be the card he’d pulled. Truly, the universe knew no bounds to the lengths it would go to laugh at him. On his other side he felt Nott’s fingers touch his knee, a silent and subtle presence reminding him that she was there. That she knew. If Caleb did believe in tarot, that card could’ve given him some hope. But he didn’t, so it couldn’t.

 

Molly, on the other hand, was oblivious, slipping the Chariot card back into the deck and shuffling it around, before picking out a card for himself. “The Sun. I don’t think there’s a single card more fitting for me, don’t you think?”

 

“I can’t imagine anything better.” Caleb said, taking a sip of the sweet tea Caduceus had given him.  

 

“Why thank you.” Molly’s smile widened and he tucked the cards away in a pocket of his coat (the very same coat that had once seemed so lifeless, barely fluttering in the freeze as it marked a grave) before resting his hands behind him and looking out towards the ocean. “I hope there’s more views like this in Solanarose, don’t you? It’s nice to see things like this in between punching cultists and getting kicked out of cities.”

 

Caleb hummed in agreement, still tentatively aware of the possibility of Molly starting an awkward conversation once again. He was fine about everything to do with Lorenzo and Molly’s death, he really, truly, definitely was, but talking about the whole scenario just felt… wrong. It was in the past, another terrible event in a long list of terrible events in Caleb’s life. He just wanted to move on and prepare for the next terrible event looming on the horizon.

 

Perhaps that would be the one to finally tip him over the edge, that would finally send him running. Maybe not.

 

Caleb didn’t particularly want to run again. He didn’t want to call the Mighty Nein his friends yet even if it was true but they were no longer mere companions. Or even acquaintances. Or allies.

 

They were all of these things, and more.  They were something he didn’t want to run away from. They were something he wanted to stay for, even if awful things happened because of that.

 

He wondered if that made him selfish. Perhaps he’d been selfish enough throughout his life already that it didn’t matter. He wanted to stay anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caleb @ Caleb: you fucked up ur life so now u deserve only bad things and pain, this is your punishment, no friends, no family, only sadness and misery
> 
> Nott: *exists*
> 
> Caleb @ Caleb: ... okay fine, ONE friend, but you're on thin fucking ice
> 
> The Mighty Nein: *appears*
> 
> Caleb @ Caleb: fuck 
> 
> Let this boy have unhealthy coping methods in peace! (im joking i want him to be happy but boy this boy makes it hard) 
> 
> Hahahahha anyway this chapter is one of the most not-dialogue heavy I've written, if not the most, and it was wild. But I was hoping to give you guys a sense of how the Non-Kidnapped, Non-Killed trio were doing over here. The answer: ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh
> 
> Anyway, you may have noticed the absence of the little question mark next to the chapter number up at the top over there! Why, it's been replaced with a 42! (meaning of life right there) Yup, I've got the whole story just about written out, so we now know exactly how many chapters are left in this mess! A lot! 
> 
> I've also increased my update schedule from 3 days to 2 days, since the schedule was just to help me keep up my buffer as I worked on new chapters, and NaNoWriMo realllyyyyy got me writing (I hit 50k on Wednesday by the day, Day 7 of the whole event.). So now the 2-day update schedule will give me plenty of time to edit and plan out future things (but not another multi-chap fic, not for a while, lol. One-shots and things probably). Also, the last chapter will come out on Christmas! For me anyway, so that'll be a Christmas present for some of you and a Christmas Eve present for the rest of you. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the rest of the fic!


	19. Behold, A Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly jumps on some rocks.

The walls of Solanarose were old and short, far less impressive than the hulking barriers the walls of Nicodranas or even Smoky Bay had felt like. Solanarose’s walls were stained and crumbling at the top, erosion battering them down closer to the coast line and the tips of newer-looking buildings poking out above the top. Apparently the walls were almost a heritage site, a piece of valued history alongside about twenty five percent of the city’s buildings, which meant the government didn’t like to alter or update them any more than they had to to stop them from crumbling whenever it rained. Molly thought that was absolutely idiotic, because why wouldn’t you want to update your buildings to be as strong as possible? Why be stuck in the past and leave yourself weak?

 

Caleb, Shakäste and Caduceus seemed to think it was brilliant and a great example of the ‘preservation of culture’, but whatever. At least old buildings meant it would be unlikely these cultists had a super tough stronghold to hide out in. 

 

The gang was allowed in to Solanarose without any difficulties, so they quickly got to work to find the ruins of a long abandoned temple on Penstrike Street, apparently somewhere near the outskirts of what was known as the ‘Old City’ in Solanarose, AKA the places that were so ancient that literally no one except cultists wanted to live in them anymore. 

 

“Should we be worried about any alarm spells or traps?” Fjord asked as they weaved their way through the labyrinth-like streets of the Old City, cursing the name of the obviously clueless local who had given them directions. 

 

“Umm…” Cali hummed, technically leading the way alongside Fjord but really getting distracted by every slightly interesting building they passed. “Probably, to be honest. It’s been a while since I’ve been with them, but they were pretty crazy about security.”

 

“Okay, now when you say ‘pretty crazy’ do you mean like, will yell at us to go away crazy or shoot us with a thousand fire spells on sight crazy.” Nott asked warily. 

 

“Oh, definitely shoot you with a thousand fire spells on sight.” Cali said.

 

“Wonderful.” 

 

“Don’t worry Nott, we’ll kill them all so quickly they won’t even have time to turn around! We’ll go all, pew pew with spells and then Yasha and Beau will punch them super hard and then you can run up and stab them and then they’ll be dead!” Jester said, miming actions alongside her explanation. 

 

“Wait, is killing the goal here?” Caduceus asked, raising a hand and looking towards Cali.

 

Cali shrugged, making a noncommittal sound and wincing. “I mean, technically… not? But they probably won’t react well to me destroying all their ritual bowls and stuff soooooo…”

 

“So killing the freaky cultists is not the goal, but will most likely be necessary. Got it.” Molly said, spinning one of scimitars in his hands to just to have something to do while they wandered the streets. “Look, do you think that’s the old statue he was talking about?”

 

He pointed towards a weathered statue that may have once depicted a man in armour that sat in front of a ruined building. The statue was missing both arms and the head, with vines entangling themselves around the legs and weeds shooting up in between cracks in the stone. 

 

Nott scurried forward to investigate the statue closer, squinting down at a rusted plaque that none of the others could see from there. “In memory of the Solanarosan Soldiers. I think this is it!” 

 

“Oh, finally.” Beau said loudly, jogging to catch up to Nott at the statue, the others quickly following suit. They’d left their cart and horses behind at a stable, the streets of the Old City too cracked, broken and narrow for wheels and hooves. 

 

Molly walked past the statue, standing in front of what remained of the old temple, so old that no one remembered which god it had served. There was nothing left above ground but the foundations of the temple, pillars that cracked and ended at only a few feet tall, and rubble littered everywhere. Outwardly, it certainly didn’t seem to be the hidden lair of cultists. But apparently temples as old as these often had tunnels, underground catacombs, caverns designed to be sacred places of worship but could easily be twisted into dungeons or hideaways. 

 

He briefly considered the chances of there being half a dozen traps if he took another step forward, before promptly discarding them. Firstly, it would be far wiser to not have traps where random pedestrians exploring old ruins could trip over there, as opposed to having them deeper within the lair. Secondly, one of those pillars looked very fragile and rickety and he  _ really  _ wanted to go kick it over.

 

So he did. It fell to the ground with a thud and fractured into hundreds of dusty pieces, and overall it was very satisfying. 

 

Molly smiled, distantly wondering if that could get him arrested, since the Solanarosan government had such a hard on for preserving their history or whatever. 

 

“That fun?” Beau asked, her arms folded as she walked up to him, fifteen layers of snark in her voice. 

 

Molly smirked, gesturing towards another pillar next to her that looked one breath away from collapsing. “I don’t know, why don’t you try for yourself? I know you’re not above property damage.” 

 

Beau matched his smirk, kicking the pillar over and grinning as it crumbled in front of her. Ah, the wonders of destruction. 

 

“If you guys are done letting the cultists know we’re here, the rest of us are looking for an entrance.” Shakäste called out, as everyone began to scatter around the ruins. 

 

“Why, that’s precisely what I’m doing!” Molly called back, kicking over another pillar. “No entrance here!” 

 

“Pfft.” Beau snickered, looking a little jittery from the likely cultist fight that was looming over the horizon. “He does have a point.”

 

“Oh, he always does.” Molly said, sighing. “He’s very reasonable. It’s his worst feature.”

 

“Because it’s harder for you to ignore his good advice?” Beau asked. Molly just gave her a thumbs up in lieu of an actual answer, scuffing his foot in the dust to see if there actually was an entrance anywhere near this particular spot. 

 

“I think it’s about time we got an actual voice of reason in this group.” Beau continued, running her hand along the broken remains of a wall.

 

Molly raised one eyebrow. “I was under the impression that  _ you  _ were an almighty, all knowing force who could make no wrong decision. When did you get so humble?”

 

Beau scoffed and rolled her eyes, her hand clenching into a fist. “I don’t think I ever said I was a genius.”

 

“You acted like it.” Molly kept his voice light and playful. He’d always liked snarking with Beau, the pair of them trading jabs and insults that (on his side anyway) never really meant anything. He’d thought Beau had been absolutely insufferable at the beginning, but now he thought different. Now she was only  _ occasionally  _ insufferable. 

 

That dynamic had changed a little now, which was disappointing. They still snarked at each other, especially after a few drinks, but these days, more often than Molly remembered, Beau seemed a little more distant. A little more serious and mature. Which was fine, he supposed, but a little less entertaining. 

 

“Whatever. It doesn’t take a lot to be the voice of reason in this group. I’m going to go find a door so I can punch these cultists.” Beau said, waving a hand and walking off elsewhere into the ruins, kicking at pieces of rubble as she went. 

 

Molly watched her go for a moment before turning away, scanning the ruins around him to keep track of where everyone else was before focusing on looking for a door. He stomped on loose stones, kicking away rocks and squinting at anything suspicious. All he got for his efforts were clouds of dust that irritated his eyes and nose and lots of broken rocks. 

 

Eventually he stumbled into what had probably been more or less the centre of the temple had it still been standing. A solid rectangular (albeit chipped, dirty and stained from years of disuse) block sat in the middle, perhaps where an altar used to be. In front of it the ground was surprisingly clean, lacking the layer of dust that covered nearly everything else in the ruin.

 

Tilting his head curiously, Molly squatted down and ran a hand over the stones in front of the altar, coming away completely clean. Interesting indeed. Experimentally, Molly knocked on one of the stone. It didn’t sound particularly different, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was on the wrong track. 

 

Hmmm… if he were a crazy cultist person, how would he disguise his hidden door? If it was some kind of magical lock or passcode he was fucked, but he could always get Caleb or Shakäste or one of the others to have a look. Still, he wanted to have a go first. 

 

He knocked on a few other stones to no effect, before switching over to just pushing them down. Then standing on them. Then jumping. Nothing. Ugh, this was irritating. 

 

“Did you find something?” Cali walked up to him, not looking at all confused to seeing Molly jumping up and down on some old rocks. That was a nice thing about Cali, she was so wide-eyed and open that it took a lot to phase her. 

 

“Perhaps.” Molly said, momentarily stopping his jumping to go back to stepping on each stone individually. “These rocks seemed different, so I was seeing if I could trigger them to do something.” 

 

He stomped down on one particularly loose rock, feeling it sink into the ground just slightly beyond what he would normally expect. But nothing else happened, leaving him disappointed. 

 

“Oh, that makes sense! It would have to be something hard to trigger accidentally, though. Or at least, not by one person.” 

 

Molly nodded, continuing to step on the rocks and noting a few that seemed to sink just like the other one. Perhaps… “In that case, Cali, would you mind stepping on these rocks here?” 

 

“Alright.” Cali obediently stepped on the rocks Molly pointed out, while he stepped on some of the others. They all sunk in, but there were still some potential trigger rocks that were left uncovered. 

 

“Okay, now push down those ones with your hands.” He said, squatting down and pointing out some rocks. They had to press up against each other a bit to do it but they managed. Once Cali was pushing down the right rocks Molly pushed down two more of his own, his efforts finally being rewarded with a loud click and the unmistakable sound of shifting rock. 

 

“We did it!” Cali clapped her hands together, taking a step back as the great slab of rock began to move to the side, revealing a staircase that descended into darkness. 

 

“Hell yeah we did.” Molly grinned, before calling over the others to announce they’d found something. Who cared for subterfuge at this point. If the cultists were home and didn’t know they were there by now, they could go blundering about blowing foghorns as loud as they could and the cultists would be none the wiser. 

 

“Ooh, you found it!! Good job guys!” Jester said, high-fiving Cali and elbowing Molly in the sides.

 

“How’s it look down there? Dangerous?” Fjord peered down the staircase. Molly leaned over to take a peek too, his darkvision not quite working since he was still standing out in the light. 

 

“Only one way to found out, ja?” Caleb was the last to join them all gathered around the opening. 

 

“Yeah, who knows how long this thing will stay open.” Cali said brightly. 

 

As if on cue, there was a creaking sound, though the stone slab opening remained still where it had come to a stop. They Mighty Nein sprung into action, quickly forming a loose marching order and descending down the stairs, no one willing to be that last one left behind if the opening closed off. 

 

It was only once they were all inside and well past the point of no return that someone realised an obvious problem.

 

“Quick question, how will we get out if that thing closes up while we’re still in here?” Nott asked. 

 

“Uhhh…”

 

“You could unlock it, can’t you?”

 

“It was a giant fucking rock, I didn’t see a keyhole on it.” 

 

“Don’t worry about it guys,” Molly said, waving a hand flippantly for the benefit of those walking behind him. He was somewhere close to the front of the pack, one of Caleb’s dancing lights floating above him and casting light on the walls of the tunnel that stretched before him. “We’ll kill that problem when we get to it.”

 

“I don’t think that’s the saying.” Yasha said. “Something about bridges.”

 

“Oh?” Molly wracked his brains, but sayings had never exactly been held in high importance in his memories. “No, that’s some crossing bridges thing. There are no bridges here.” 

 

There was some mild snickering from somewhere behind him that Molly was almost certain was coming from Jester, Beau, or both. “Fine. Be all metaphorical. We can  _ burn _ the bridge when we get to it.” 

 

“Okay, I’m pretty sure there’s  _ a  _ saying about burning bridges, but that’s not it.” Fjord said.

 

Caleb piped up, walking just behind Molly. “Burning bridges sounds oddly foreboding.”

 

“It sounds like whatever situation we find ourselves in, we will make it infinitely worse.” Caduceus’ voice drifted from somewhere close to the back of the group. 

 

“Ah. It’s perfect then!” Molly announced. He knew the correct saying, probably. Though burning bridges sounded way more fun than just crossing them.  

 

“It could be our tagline.” Shakäste said.

 

That caused another round of snickering and agreements from the others, as they slowly and not at all quietly made their way through the tunnels. There were no lit torches, thus Caleb’s dancing lights, though the walls seemed surprisingly smooth for ancient underground tunnels. Everyone had weapons out and ready, activated, prepared or whatever else they needed to do with them, always on the lookout for traps. Every now and then Nott would stop them to dart ahead and check something before telling them to move forward.

 

“Wait! A door!” Nott said, and Molly craned forward to look over Fjord’s shoulder and see what she was talking about. Sure enough, there was a door, that Nott was currently leaning the side of her face against, her brows furrowed in concentration and the ear that wasn’t pressed against the door twitching. 

 

Whatever she did or didn’t hear on the other side must have satisfied her, as she pulled out her thieves tools and began attempting to unlock the door while the others approached, curious to see what was on the other side. Molly looked down the hallway, frowning at the lack of cultists so far. Perhaps they simply weren’t around. Perhaps they were lying in wait to ambush them. 

 

The door clicked open and Nott grinned smugly, tucking away her thieves tools and accepting a light clap from Jester, Caduceus and Cali for her efforts. They entered the room cautiously, but found no cultists waiting to attack. Instead, they found a room piled high with chests, bags and racks, some of which had obviously been there far longer than others. 

 

They fanned out as they entered the room, holding their weapons steady for a few moments and looking behind crates and around corners, making sure there was no one hiding somewhere within the room. Yasha, the last of them to enter the room, closed the door behind them, and they promptly began looting the place.

 

“If we find anymore of those creepy bowls like the one in the swamp, should we destroy them?” Fjord asked, cracking the lid off of one of the crates and rummaging inside. 

 

“Oh, yes! Definitely!” Cali said, pulling out a long cloak that had a strange symbol on the back. “Yasha was able to destroy it really easily last time, could you do it again?”

 

Yasha heaved her greatsword into her hands, nodding solemnly. “Yes.” 

 

Molly smirked, knowing that beneath the solemn demeanour, Yasha did enjoy smashing things when she could. Who didn’t, really? It was just fun. He picked up a bag and upended it, rewarded with a collection of silver pieces clattering to the ground.

 

“Ooooh.” He said, scooping up some of the coins and stuffing them into his coin purse. When that filled up, he looked around for someone else. “Hey guys, I found money!”

 

“I found a shield.” Beau held up a completely rusted metal shield. Caduceus, standing next to her, ran a finger along the edge and a part of it actually seemed to flake off. “Think we could sell this?”

 

“We could sell lots of this stuff!” Jester said, holding up an old-looking necklace. “We could get so much money!”

 

“We could perhaps also deprive these cultists of some of their weapons.” Caleb said, holding a plain cloth in his hand that he had pulled off of a rack, revealing an array of spears. 

 

“Now that’s a good idea.” Fjord said, pulling out a leather bag. “Let’s see how much of that stuff we can get into here-” 

 

Suddenly, the room was filled with the most earsplitting sound that Molly had ever heard in his life. It was like a thousand foghorns piled on top of each other, all combined in their efforts to absolutely murder his eardrums. 

 

He dropped the empty bag he’d been holding, plastering his hands over her ears and cringing.

 

The sound cut off suddenly but it continued to ring in his ears, voices distant. He wrenched his eyes open and thought he saw the door to the rest of the tunnel open but his vision was blurry. He saw Yasha right next to the door, leaning against the wall with one hand over her ear and looking confused and pained. Saw Nott and Beau kneeling close to the door, Nott still covering her ears with her hands but Beau pulling hers away - was that blood?

 

Cali and Caduceus, a little further behind Nott and Beau, looked sick and confused but somehow still standing, while everyone else winced as the sounds continued to ring. But wait. Why was the door open?

 

Figures stood in the doorway, cloaked and vague and hazy as Molly’s brain tried to sort out what was happening. Some of the others were saying something but their voices seemed distant and he ignored them for now. One of the figures in the doorway stepped forward, an ornate staff held in their hands that seemed to be almost glowing and crackling with arcane energy.

 

It was a pretty staff, Molly thought to himself.

 

Oh shit, it  _ was  _ glowing and crackling with arcane energy, Molly realised suddenly. 

 

“Shit!” Sounds came into sudden, horrific focus and time seemed to pause as the figure held up the staff as Molly scrambled backwards.

 

He watched in slow motion as lightning itself seemed to jump from the staff, filling the room with blinding purple-white light, setting every single hair on his body on edge. 

 

Oh fuck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didja see my title drop didja get it huh huh 
> 
> Anyways, time to punch cultists!!! Yay!!!!


	20. Ghosts Of A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some of the Foreshadowing and Chekhov's Guns the author has been setting up come back to bite us.

Without even thinking about it, Molly’s body threw itself behind a crate, ducking low and holding his hands over his heads as lightning crackled. He waited for the electricity to hit him that never came, and after a few seconds he cracked open his eyes, reaching for his scimitars and activating them as quickly as he could. 

 

“How interesting…” A low feminine voice filtered through the room, and Molly peeked out from behind the crate, a little uneasy about what he might find.

 

His eyes first went to the door, where a short figure had stepped in front of the one who held the staff, walking a few feet into the room. They all wore the same cloaks, and the shorter one pulled down her hood, revealing a pale face with high cheekbones and angular edges, long golden brown hair flowing past her shoulders. 

 

“The prodigal daughter returns.” The woman continued, staring at Cali, who was kneeling on the ground with her dragonscaled arm held up over her head. Everyone else who’d been near the door (Caduceus, Nott, Beau and Yasha) seemed similarly indisposed, while everyone else held up their weapons or spells, holding their breaths and waiting for this tense moment of peace to shatter and battle to begin. 

 

Cali didn’t respond to the woman, not even looking up at her for a few moments, which the woman seemed irritated by. 

 

“I thought Seris taught you it was impolite not to answer when someone spoke to you.” Molly figured this woman had to be Ivory Hayward, and he was not impressed. 

 

Cali looked up just at Ivory finished her sentence, a ghost of confusion scattering across her face. “What!?” Her voice was loud, far louder than normal.

 

There was an awkward silence. 

 

“I  _ said _ , I thought Seris-”

 

“I can’t hear you!” Cali called out, and Molly nearly choked, remembering that earsplitting, thunderous sound that had blasted throughout the room. Cali had been close to the door, directly in the line of the fire, of course she couldn’t hear anything now. 

 

He glanced around at the others to see what they were doing. Yasha had shuffled a little away from the door, one hand over her ear and the other holding her greatsword, looking over at all of them and wincing. With how close she’d been to the door, she might’ve been temporarily deafened as well, and almost definitely struck by the lightning. Caduceus, standing just behind Cali, held his staff in both hands, his ears twitching and a frown settling over his face. Beau and Nott, even further behind Caduceus and Cali, were frozen, conflict and indecision plain on their face as they watched Ivory and Cali. Over by the crates, Caleb and Shakäste were standing next to each other, spells at the ready but holding off. Fjord had his falchion out in between those two and Molly, while Jester was currently hidden from Molly’s view, but the last time he’d seen her she’d been climbing around some of the crates, so she should have been well out of the line of fire. 

 

Ivory seemed to come to the same conclusion about Cali’s (hopefully) temporary deafness, glancing behind her and scowling. She cast her eyes over all of them.

 

“ _ Some  _ of you have to be able to hear still.” She put her hands on her hips. “So tell me, why are you here? Then perhaps I may let some of you live.”

 

Molly bristled at that, his grip on his scimitars tightening , but cautiously aware that perhaps fighting here may  _ not  _ be the best idea, since half of their party was probably deaf and at least one of the enemy had a stick that could summon lightning. Sure, Shakäste could do that too, but he was usually too careful to do it  _ underground _ . 

 

“We came looking for you.” Fjord, of course, was the first to speak up, drawing Ivory’s attention. Molly ignored them for now, trying to see where the figure with the lightning stick was. There seemed to be a few figures still crowded in the doorway, blocking the exit but not seeming to deem it necessary to enter the room themselves. Between the cloaks they were wearing and how close together they were, it was hard to make out anything.

 

“To be more specific, Calianna here was searching for you. We were assisting her.” Shakäste was talking now too, and Molly focused back on the conversation, frowning. They had come in here expecting to fight, but right now he didn’t fancy their odds, cornered in a small store room. 

 

Ivory stayed where she was, just in front of Cali but no longer paying attention to her, twirling some hair around her finger and furrowing her brows. “Elaborate.” 

 

Molly had no idea where Fjord and Shakäste were going with this but between the two of them there was probably  _ some  _ kind of plan so he’d best leave them to it. At the very least, it was buying them all time to recollect themselves. So instead he shuffled further behind the crates, trying to peek around to get the best lay of the land, and scope out some potential hiding spots if need be. 

 

As he shuffled around as quietly as he could, he finally spotted Jester, crouched behind two barrels with a determined frown on her face. Oh good. He caught her eye, waving frantically for her to come join him behind the much larger and studier crate he was currently behind.

 

“Should we fight her?” Jester whispered, holding her hands up in fists. 

 

“Oh, definitely. But not… right at this second.” Molly said, peeking back around the corner of the crate to see what was happening. Yasha had slowly moved towards Shakäste and Caleb, and Cali, Caduceus, Beau and Nott had similarly grouped up, the four of them making exaggerated facial expressions and vague hand gestures at each other but not seeming to get anywhere. Fjord had taken a few hesitant steps forward to Ivory, who had one eyebrow raised and her arms folded. 

 

“-now, I’m sure we can come to an agreement that we can all be satisfied with.” Fjord was saying, his voice layered with as much thick charm as he could.

 

“That would be ideal.” Ivory said, her voice just as sickly sweet, and there was no fucking way she was telling the truth. As soon as one of them did anything even remotely violent, they’d definitely attack, and at this point, that may not end well. They had no leverage here, and since it just seemed to be a regular store room, he doubted there was anything important enough in here for them to use as leverage. They had to find something that they could.

 

“In the mood for a distraction?” Molly asked, looking back to Jester. She blinked once, before grinning, pulling off her haversack and digging around in it.

 

“I have exploding beans.” She said, pulling out a small pouch.

 

Now it was Molly’s turn to blink. Huh. That was way better than his half-formed idea. 

 

“Brilliant. Do they explode as soon as they hit something?” 

 

“I have no idea.” Jester shrugged.

 

“Good enough. If you throw them at the people standing in the door, we could rush out of there. Then this fight becomes a lot easier.” 

 

Jester’s grin widened and she nodded, before scurrying away behind the crates to find a better vantage point to throw the beans at. 

 

Looking back out from where he sat, Ivory and Fjord were still knee-deep in empty platitudes and thinly-veiled threats that would make Molly roll his eyes if he didn’t use them so much himself, and if they weren’t currently being very helpful in wasting time. Still, everyone had a limit to their patience, and when it came down to it, the Mighty Nein simply didn’t seem to have anything that Ivory was interested in. 

 

“Well, this has been entertaining.” Ivory turned her back on Fjord, almost daring him to attack while she did so, taking a few steps towards Cali. “Can you hear me yet?”   
  


“You know, not really.” Cali winced, not making eye contact. “Everything’s still kinda fuzzy. Think you could wait a few more minutes?”

 

Ivory rolled her eyes. “Still as immature as ever. Seris was a fool for ever believing you were worth something.” She looked towards the door, where the figures still stood. “Tanika, Harlow, come in here so we can finish this. Sly, you and your comrades welcome to join in.”

 

Oh that did not sound good. Making sure his scimitars were still activated, Molly began to stand up, hoping that Jester sensed how ‘yeah, we’re going to kill them now’ Ivory’s statement had been. 

 

Everyone else had realised it, at the very least, standing if they hadn’t been already and tensing up, just waiting for someone to throw the first punch. 

 

A few of the figures in the doorway were beginning to move in, taking a step forwards into the room. 

 

In the next moment Molly heard a light whooshing sound, and suddenly the figures were at the epicentre of a mini-explosion. 

 

In an instant, the fragile tension in the room snapped like a tree branch someone had hung off of until they could hold on no longer, sending everything back into place. Ivory whipped around and held up her hands to shield herself from the explosion, while the various members of the Mighty Nein either reeled back or raced forward, hands, weapons and spells ready to fly. 

 

“Get them!” It was hard to tell who had spoken, and for which side, but it didn’t matter, because everyone was moving. 

 

Molly, one of two with the benefit of knowing what was coming, darted forwards with his scimitars raised, crossing the distance between him and Ivory in what felt like no time at all. She seemed to sense him coming, but turned too slowly, his blades slicing up along her arm and ripping into her cloak, sending tatters of the material falling to the ground. 

 

Ivory stumbled backwards a few steps away from him, tracing her hands in the air and beginning to mutter spells. Behind her, her lackeys recovered from the explosion, some stripping their burning and singed cloaks and throwing them to the floor. Molly saw Yasha in the corner of his vision rush in towards them with her greatsword raised, Fjord following soon her with his falchion.

 

Ivory’s hands began to crackle with electricity and Molly did not want to get electrocuted today so he darted backwards as she lunged forward. In the same moment Beau came from seemingly nowhere, clocking Ivory in the shoulder and disrupting her cantrip. The wizard swept one of her hands upwards, and when Beau went in to try and punch again, her fists met an invisible wall as Ivory took another step backward, fury etched into her face. 

 

Beau, with her always reliable strategy of ‘punch it til it dies’, geared up to have another go despite the apparent magical shield. Molly took a few steps around Ivory in hopes of flanking and distracting her or reaching an edge of the shield, when he saw a flash of green out the corner of his eye.

 

He dodged frantically, seeing the green bolt fly past him and land harmlessly on the wall, bursting into a spray of acid that left scorch marks on the stone. He looked in the direction the acid arrow had come from, seeing the figure who held the lightning stick - a half-elf woman with ridiculously pale, almost unhealthy looking skin and short, choppy blonde hair - scowl at him before suddenly moving, ducking to dodge a swing from Yasha’s greatsword. 

 

Molly could only hope that she wouldn’t try the lightning trick again while Ivory was in the room with them, since she’d almost certainly be in the line of fire. In any case, Yasha was keeping her very distracted at the moment. 

 

He turned all of his focus back to Ivory, just in time to see three magical darts (presumably from Caleb) bursting onto her magical shield. Ivory winced at the impact despite it never hitting her and Molly took the opportunity to side-step behind her, slicing up her back with his scimitars and leaving two heavy gashes and a layer of ice in his wake. 

 

Adrenaline was racing through his blood, even if this wasn’t exactly what he hoped for. A translucent lollipop raced through the sky above him and a stream of fire following it. He heard the distinct twang of bolts leaving a crossbow, shouts of pain and impact. He was fairly certain they outnumbered the cultists (even though at least four besides Ivory had by now entered the room) but he wasn’t sure about their chances in a long drawn out battle. The sooner they ended this, the better. 

 

In front of him, Ivory’s figure suddenly seemed to blur, splitting into two and becoming fuzzy and hard to pin down. Oh for gods sakes. Molly took a few swipes at her, none of which seemed to hit, and he heard Beau curse loudly as the strangely shifting figure began to move out of their range, both of them trying in vain to hit her as she ran away from them. Thankfully not towards her friends, since Molly was standing between them, but away. 

 

However, in her haste to get away from Molly and Beau, Ivory walked right into range of Caduceus and his swarm of insects, who had far less trouble locating her properly despite her shifting form. With as many bugs as he had, at least a few of them were  _ bound  _ to hit her. She began to swat at the bugs, already saying words for a new spell, but Molly decided to ignore it for now, hoping Caduceus and Beau could handle it. 

 

He found both the people he was looking for almost back to back, shooting off firebolts and crossbow bolts to the various lackeys who had entered the room. Both seemed to have more or less recovered from the horn deafening and lightning they probably got struck by.

 

“Cali!” Molly ran up to both of them, and Cali temporarily paused her spell-casting, her hands whipping around before she realised who it was. 

 

“Molly? What is it?” 

 

“That ritual shit you need to destroy, can you go find it?” Molly spoke quickly, pivoting around so that he was facing the room and inserting himself in between Cali and Nott.

 

“Go find it?” Nott cut in, not having paused in her crossbow bolt assaults. “We need to  _ live  _ first!”

 

“The sooner we find that ritual shit, the sooner we can threaten them with it! Nott, you can go with her to unlock doors and shit.” 

  
“Sorry,  _ what? _ ”

 

“Oooh! I get it!” Cali said, biting her lip and looking towards the door. “How do we get through?” 

 

Molly frowned, looking towards the door. He could see now that there was a total of seven enemies, including Ivory. Five of them were no longer wearing cloaks, allowing him to see them clearly. The first was Ivory and the second was the pale blonde half-elf with the lightning stick, who was slumped against the wall clutching her bleeding stomach, having evidently met the business end of Yasha’s greatsword and was now entirely focused on not bleeding out. 

 

The next closest one without a cloak, currently engaged with Yasha and trying not to end up like his friend on the floor, was shorter than Ivory, a brunette human with a large metal warhammer that he was somehow managing to hold onto despite a nasty-looking gash on his right shoulder. The fourth was another human, who wore a bright red headband around his head and had a rather nice tattoo of a snake’s head crawling up his cheek. His clothes were stained with both fresh and dried blood and he wielded two handaxes with great enthusiasm, forcing Fjord - already bleeding from a few lucky shots - to dodge backwards far more than he was able to move forwards.  

 

The fifth was another human with a similar headband and matching tattoo to the first, but had the distinction of a freshly gained burn seared onto his arm that set him apart. One of his hands glowed with arcane energy and was coated in sharp shards of ice, while the other burned with a fire as he punched forward with both arms at Jester and Shakäste, who met him head on with lollipops and a giant statue of someone Molly could not even begin to recognise. Considering the battles everyone else was fighting, those three seemed almost comical. 

 

One cloaked figure remained in the doorway apparently as a guard, a massive double-bladed scimitar in their hands. Even with their hood up Molly could see the scales and maw of a female dragonborn, golden eyes flicking wildly from person to person, copper scales glinting in the light. The other figure still wearing a cloak zipped from battle to battle, assisting one of their compatriots for a few seconds before seemingly growing bored and going to the next one. Flashes of white hair flew out from beneath the hood,and Molly was certain he could see red skin. A tiefling, most likely. 

 

Molly grimaced, trying to figure out how Cali and Nott would get out of this chaos. 

 

“Jester!” He called out. 

 

“I’m busy!” Jester called back, before shouting at her enemy in Infernal. “ _ Stop being so rude!”  _

 

Alright then. Molly stuck his tongue out in Jester’s general direction before turning his attention back to the problem at hand. 

 

As he tried to think of something, Beau promptly flew backwards, a chromatic orb of ice blowing up in her face. She landed on her back and Ivory, a deranged look on her face, pounced, her hand beginning to crackle with lightning again while Caduceus raised up his staff to slap her on the head.

 

Fuck it. They didn’t have time for this.

 

“When in doubt, just shoot whatever’s in front of you, kay?” He said, shrugging and racing around the Caduceus/Ivory/Beau fight, not really waiting to see if Cali and Nott were following. 

 

The dragonborn obviously hadn’t expected anyone to rush her so suddenly, just barely getting her huge scimitar up in time to block Molly’s blows. But Molly was now running purely on adrenaline and the need to survive, whipping his own (sadly smaller) scimitars down and ducking under her blade as a crossbow bolt sunk into her shoulder. 

 

“What the-” The dragonborn’s eyes widened and Molly took advantage of her surprise, slicing one scimitar into her hand and plunging the other into her stomach. Her injured hand reflexively let go, the heavy weapon falling to the ground. 

 

“Come on!” He called out, feeling the rush of someone racing behind him, followed by another, smaller one. Another crossbow bolt hit the dragonborns arm seemingly just for good measure, and then Cali and Nott was gone, a racing of footsteps disappearing down the tunnel. 

 

“You-” The dragonborn’s voice was strangely surprised, before shifting into a quiet rage, her eyes changing into a dark, murky red colour. “You’re  _ dead!”  _

 

Molly ignored them, painfully aware that even if swinging a two-handed weapon with one hand was ill-advised, it was still possible and it would still hurt a  _ lot _ . So instead he attacked again, slicing cleanly up the dragonborn’s other arm with one strike and-

 

A cold, tingling feeling crept into his arm, the only warning before it suddenly burst into pain so unexpected Molly nearly dropped his scimitar. The end of his attack fumbled, his other swing going wide as the dragonborn took a step back and to the side, letting Molly run into the doorway, staring in stunned horror at his perfectly normal arm. Not a single scratch on it, despite the burning pain he felt. 

 

What the-

 

He didn’t have a moment to think about it before an arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulder, spinning him around and pinning him against the sharp edges of the doorway. The arm pushed against his throat and for a moment he panicked, red eyes meeting a dark gold of the red skinned, white-haired tiefling he hadn’t gotten a good look at before. 

 

Now he got a great look at him, his skin rough and scarred from what must have been years, wearing a half open shirt beneath his cloak that revealed a chest just as scarred, what looked like hundreds of more or less uniform lines dotting every inch of his skin.

 

Wait. 

 

For a moment, the tiefling just stared at Molly, his eyes pupilless and haunting. Then, he smiled, his teeth sharp and almost fang-like, his tongue licking his lower lip. There was a terrible familiarity in that smile. Oh no.

 

There was no  _ fucking  _ way-

 

“Lucien!” No. That name tugged at his memories in all the wrong ways. No. No fucking way.

 

“It’s been so long!” 

 

Molly’s vision became laser focus, everything around seeming to almost fade away as a terrible, sinking realisation dawned. A past long buried, long forgotten, long left behind, returned to haunt him in the worst possible way. 

 

There was a flicker of movement, and then a burning sensation in Molly’s gut, this time very, very real. The dagger tore through him, biting clean through his flesh and organs up to the hilt, blood already beginning to ooze out of the wound. 

 

But Molly didn’t make a sound, his throat closed up, mouth refusing to move. There was no way. No possible way.

 

“You always said you’d never die.” The tieflings voice was low yet sweet like sugar, and it was the worst thing Molly had ever heard in his life. “Yet we buried you.”

 

He twisted the dagger, sending waves of pain jolting up Molly’s spine. Molly just stood there, one scimitar still in his hand, speechless. No. No no no. He didn’t want this. He’d rather face a dragon than this. Two dragons. He’d almost rather face  _ Lorenzo _ . At least he knew what Lorenzo was capable of. 

 

“Oh Lucien, you have a  _ lot  _ of explaining to do.” 

  
_ Fuck _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahhajakshakhtahsdfhbahdbaksf sooooooooo how y'all doin? hahahahahahahahahaha
> 
> Anyway we'll see what happens in the next chapter :) :) :) :)


	21. Live Wild And Die Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which fighting cultists is a complicated thing.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-

 

Molly’s mind felt stuck, his train of thought not just derailed but crashed and currently burning somewhere alongside his fight or flight reflex. This tiefling, this blood hunter, this  _ person who knew him as Lucien oh for fucks sake whyyyyyy _ , leering down at him with a smile and a dagger plunged into his gut. 

 

He vaguely remembered the first time he’d met someone who had called him  _ Lucien _ and god even the name sounded pretentious, and he remembered what he’d done then. Bullshit like there was no tomorrow. 

 

Lie. That was something he could do. 

 

“You know, I’d love to talk about it, but you just stabbed me, so forgive me if I don’t feel particularly friendly.” He choked out a chuckle, pulling up his one hand that still held a scimitar to hopefully stab it into the tieflings chest. He grabbed Molly’s arm by the wrist, both of them trying to push the other backwards. 

 

“A little lost blood won’t hurt you.” The tiefling said, visibly straining. Not very strong, it seemed. “Just tell me, how the  _ fuck  _ are you alive. We buried you in an unmarked grave. No cleric could have ever found you.” 

 

Molly grinned wider. “Brilliant story, you know. I’d love to tell it, but again, stabbed.” 

 

The tiefling scowled, pushing forward and shoving the dagger deeper into Molly’s stomach. “It’s been a long few years without you, Lucien.”

 

“Did you miss me?” 

 

The tiefling didn’t answer, his eyes narrowing into slits. Molly matched his gaze, staring him down while simultaneously trying to plunge his scimitar into the tiefling’s heart because he had so far managed to go at least two years without fucking with whoever the shit Lucien was and he was not about to end that streak today. 

 

“Sly, two of them got away!” The dragonborn said, a few steps down the corridor, looking over her shoulder at them. Molly took the opportunity to flip them off with his free hand, which she sadly barely seemed to notice.

 

“So go  _ chase  _ them!” The tiefling, apparently named Sly, said. The dragonborn nodded once before taking off down the tunnel, armour clanking as she vanished. 

 

Yup, Molly was done here. He gave one last shove with his arms before suddenly letting go, allowing Sly’s momentum to send him forwards, just as Molly brought up his knee to peg him in the gut, swiftly followed by a kick to the dick. Sly staggered backwards, cursing loudly and letting go of Molly, who took the opportunity to dart to the side to avoid getting shoved against the wall again, scooping up his other scimitar and jumping a few steps backwards.

 

“You know, we were friends once, we don’t have to fight.” He said, because one less enemy is always a good thing. 

 

“Maybe we were.” Sly snickered, sliding off his hood to revealed his full face and hair, scraggly and choppily cut just below the shoulder. “But Hayward’s helping us. Which is a lot more than you’ve done for us these past two years.”

 

“Well forgive me for dying.” Molly said dryly, though his curiosity was piqued. “Tell me, what’s Hayward helping you with that’s bought your loyalty?” 

 

“The same thing we’ve always been trying to do.” Sly said, pulling out a second dagger from a belt and spinning it once in his hand. “It’s a bit roundabout, but I’ll pray to any god that gives me what I want.” 

 

Molly rolled his eyes at the crypticness, though he supposed Lucien probably would have understood. Fuck Lucien though, so fuck the crypticness too.  

 

Sly grinned, slashing his dagger across his chest and holding it up in front of him, the blade glowing like it had just emerged from a forge, tiny flames licking along the metal. Molly reactivated the scimitar he’d dropped, fighting back a wince as he did so. He did still have a dagger embedded in his stomach after all, so any additional damage wasn’t exactly welcome. 

 

“Fire and ice. How poetic.” Sly said, spinning his dagger once again. His grin had turned almost manic, his eyes wide. 

 

“Sure. Let’s go with that.” Molly said, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes again. If only this guy knew Molly had absolutely no fucking idea what he was going on about. 

 

Molly ran forwards, immediately putting Sly on the defensive as he tried to parry two blades with just his single dagger, metal clanging and ringing in Molly’s ears and sparks flying from the mingling of blood magic on the blades. 

 

He had the advantage but Sly was irritatingly quick, blocking each blow even as he was forced to move backwards to account for the sheer difference in weapon number and power, which was fine. Molly wasn’t sure how everyone else was going in their battles, but he had enough peripheral vision to see where some of his friends were. 

 

Luckily for him, Sly seemed too interested in whining to pay attention to where Molly was trying to lead him. 

 

“Just imagine what could have happened if you’d never left us!” 

 

“Why should I imagine when you can just tell me?” Molly said, pressing forward again and managing to nick Sly in the arm. The longer this asshole monologued the sooner he’d slip up and the sooner Molly could kill him and pretend he never existed. 

 

“If only the ritual had worked.” Sly’s voice took on a wistful tone, scarily contrasted by the manic grin still etched on his face. “Or maybe it did! Maybe it did, just not in the way we expected.”

 

Molly frowned, doing his best to just let Sly’s words roll off him, in one ear and out the other where he wouldn’t have to think about them. But Sly and everything he represented had clamped down on his mind, screaming that he couldn’t escape. 

 

For so long he’d been comfortable knowing absolutely nothing about Lucien, nothing before two years ago when he had dug himself out of an unmarked grave. It had been nothing, a past that no longer existed. Now... now that nothingness had suddenly manifested into a very tangible and very deadly thing.

 

But fuck that.  _ Fuck Lucien _ . He wasn’t dealing with his bullshit. 

 

Without warning Sly suddenly dropped low, swinging his leg around and catching Molly’s, knocking him off his feet.

 

Molly hit the ground on his back, all the air in his lungs escaping with one solid ‘oof’, his stomach sending waves of pain through him. Sly pounced, dagger arcing wide to stab down into his throat

 

Scimitars met the dagger in mid-air, crossed in front of Molly’s chest and stopping the blade inches from his throat. Sly was unperturbed, his grin growing even wider.

 

“Maybe… maybe… maybe it did work. Not quite the immortality you imagined, but you  _ are  _ alive.” 

 

Immortality? The more he learned about Lucien, the more certain Molly became that he wanted absolutely  _ nothing  _  to do with him. 

 

His own confusion and disgust must have slipped through onto his face, as Sly’s grin twitched, his shoulders tensing as he kept trying to push the dagger down, Molly pushing back with all his strength.

 

Then there was a blur, and Sly suddenly disappeared from view with a howl, the pressure vanishing instantly and Molly finally taking in a full breath. 

 

“There’s a knife in you.” Yasha leaned over him, bloodstained and sweaty and frowning. She held out a hand for him

 

“Yes. Yes there is.” Molly wheezed, taking her hand and trying not to fall over again once he got to his feet. He looked around for one of the clerics, and in general to see how everyone else was doing. 

 

Sly lay crumpled against the wall where he’d landed after Yasha had kicked him away (Gods, she was amazing), clutching his stomach in the same place Molly had kneed him earlier. The dragonborn was still gone, hopefully busy being beaten into the ground by Cali and Nott or otherwise being unable to find them.

 

The human with a warhammer that Yasha had been fighting last he’d seen her was quite thoroughly murdered on the ground, probably accounting for most of the blood on Yasha - though Molly could see a few harsh bruises beginning to form on her arms and shoulder, so he hadn’t gone down without a fight. The lightning stick woman was still slumped against the wall, her chest still heaving as she clung to life despite the steadily growing pool of blood around her. With no one around to assist her and all of the Mighty Nein too occupied to finish her off she just lay there, probably trying to keep her intestines inside her where they belonged. 

 

Ivory Hayward lay either unconscious or dead on the ground, dozens of bruises and bug bites on her skin, and Caduceus knelt over a prone Beau on the ground close by, healing up some nasty looking burns on the monk’s face. The only real fight that remained was between the two humans with snake tattoos, who were back to back and facing down Jester, Shakäste and Fjord at once, slinging spells and slashing out with swords. Caleb hung back further away from that fight, watching and carefully preparing a spell.

 

Molly watched for a second, catching flashes of scars matching Sly’s - and his own - on the two’s chests and arms, and felt bile rise in his throat. He didn’t want to deal with any one else from Lucien’s past.

 

“I’ll go sort out this whole… knife thing.” Molly said, exhaustion seeping into his voice in the moment of relative peace and pointing vaguely towards Caduceus. 

 

Yasha nodded, casting a glance to where Sly still groaned on the ground before patting Molly on the shoulder once, hefting her greatsword into her hands, and heading towards Fjord, Jester and Shakäste.

 

“Anything left for me?” Molly sauntered up to Caduceus, who glanced up from healing Beau, registering his presence and momentarily glancing back down before doing a double take, frowning.

 

“You’ve got a knife in your stomach.” He said, raising one hand from Beau’s shoulder while keeping the other there to support the spell.

 

“Apparently so.” Molly said, grimacing with each movement. “Got any tea for that?”

 

“Unfortunately not.” Caduceus mused, his gaze flickering over the battlefield for a moment before looking down at Beau. “Give me a moment.”

 

Molly was  _ mostly  _ certain he wouldn’t drop dead in the next few seconds, so he gave a shaky thumbs up, looking over his shoulder to make sure Ivory wasn’t going to rise from the dead and stab him or something. Thankfully she seemed to be definitely dead. 

 

The last of Caduceus’ spell must have faded away, Beau waking up with a start and gagging for a few moments, her burns all healed up but still left with a few dozen bruises and some nasty cuts on her arms and stomach that the healing magic hadn’t quite gotten in favour of healing the worse wounds. 

 

She stumbled to a sitting position, Caduceus supporting her back while Molly waited patiently for his turn at the healing magic. 

 

“Holy fuck Molly, there’s a knife in you.” Beau said, blinking at Molly.

 

“Oh? Hadn’t noticed.” Molly said dryly, looking pointedly at Caduceus, who was unfazed. 

 

The firbolg got to his knees so that he was level with the dagger, placing one hand on Molly’s stomach while gripping the hilt of the dagger with his other.

 

“This may hurt.” He said blandly, not giving Molly a single second to process the implications before ripping the dagger out from him. 

 

Molly’s vision went white for a moment and he nearly fell over, but Caduceus’ steady hand kept him from stumbling, and the soothing sensation of healing magic stitching together the wound brought him back to reality. 

 

“Thanks for the warning.” He said belatedly, flipping off Beau as she snickered on the ground, still catching her breath from her stint in unconsciousness. 

 

The healing spell finished its work, leaving Molly with slightly less pain, but confident he wasn’t going to bleed out. Caduceus handed him the blood-soaked dagger, which he promptly threw over his shoulder, well away from anyone else.

 

He turned back to the rest of the room, in the same moment that a tiny dark green ball seemed to almost throw itself into the room, quickly followed by a frazzled and panting Cali. 

 

“There’s a shit ton of bowls!” Nott yelled very loudly, holding up a small dark bowl in her hands, while Cali brandished three others. Both of them looked slightly bruised, and Cali had a long gash travelling down her left arm, while Nott held her free hand around her side, cringing and standing just inside and to the right of the doorway, close to the nearly-corpse of the lightning stick wielding woman.

 

“Also there’s a dragonborn chasing us!” Cali said, racing to the other side of the room. Godsdamnit, Molly had nearly forgotten about that. 

 

He saw some movement out the corner of his eye, seeing Sly hauling himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall but managing to stand, his eyes scanning the room wildly as the situation seemed to be quickly turning against him. 

 

He muttered something Molly couldn’t hear, before shouting out in a pained voice, “Hamlin! Myles!” 

 

Looking back, as much as Molly would later hate looking back on this particular moment and the seconds immediately after it, it was funny how so much could happen in such a small span of time. 

 

The first thing that happened was that the dragonborn appeared in the doorway, breathing heavily with her huge scimitar stained with blood. She took a single glance around the room before immediately reporting to Sly’s side, recognising a fight that they would likely no longer win. 

 

The second thing was that the two humans Shakäste, Fjord, Jester and Yasha had been fighting, apparently named Hamlin and Myles, made a break for it, trying to dodge around Yasha and Fjord to race towards Sly. All four of the Mighty Nein (plus Caleb, who had been keeping a close eye on that fight) wailed on them as they did so, the handaxe-wielding one managing to slip his way through the simultaneous attacks of greatswords, eldritch blasts, firebolts and spiritual weapons, but the one with a burn on his face stumbled and fell dead, one of Fjord’s blasts catching him directly on the skull. 

 

Third, Molly saw Sly pulling something out of his pocket, a small round object that he couldn’t identify, but one that began to glow with clear magical energy as the dragonborn and the hand-axe wielding human ran up to him. 

 

Fourth, half the Mighty Nein ran towards Sly in an attempt to disrupt whatever he was doing. Cali passed her bowls off to Nott, Jester and Shakäste sent their spiritual weapons forward, Fjord and Yasha ran with greatswords and falchions held up high. Beau stumbled to her feet with her fists clenched, Molly reactivated his scimitars, Caduceus prepared his staff. All of them ready for one final attack that never ended up hitting Sly. 

 

Fifth, and this had seemed the most innocuous at the time, but turned out to be their gravest mistake. 

 

They had all forgotten that the woman with the lightning stick - who also happened to be a crazy cultist - was not quite dead. 

 

Dying, yes. 

 

Preoccupied with said dying for most of the fight, yes.

 

But not dead.

 

Which turned out to be a very important distinction. 

 

Because while no one was watching her, one hand still nursing the bloody and soon to be fatal wound in her stomach, she looked up. Through weary, fading vision, she saw everything Molly saw. She saw Sly preparing to make his escape with his remaining friends. Leaving her. Abandoning the fight. Their forms already beginning to glow as a prepared teleport or plane shift or who the fuck knows began to take effect. 

  
She saw her leader dead on the ground. She saw her other friend dead on the ground. She saw Nott holding some of those precious bowls for her cults rituals, standing only a few feet away, inbetween her and Sly, the dragonborn and the human. She saw everyone else in the Mighty Nein still standing, beaten and bleeding and bruised but still alive.

 

She saw all of this and somehow, somehow she found the strength for one final, vindictive, petty  _ fuck you _ to all of them. 

 

It was a feeling Molly was familiar with. Knowing that death was coming, so why not use what would likely be your final moments to take as many enemies down with you. 

Seconds and minutes and hours and days after this, Molly could imagine the thoughts running through her head, since he didn’t see her until it was too late. He understood them. But he fucking hated her for the actions those thoughts became. 

 

Because while no one was looking, while no one was paying attention, the woman took her free hand and held the staff that had spewed lightning at the beginning of the fight, she pointed it towards Sly, towards the dragonborn, the human, and anyone else who stood in the way. 

 

And she fired. 

 

The worst thing about it all was that Sly and his lackeys had already vanished from the battlefield a split second before she did. 

 

Molly saw them disappear, had enough time to curse their bad luck before the room erupted into a devastating, thunderous sound. Before his vision and everyone else’s went purplish-white. 

 

When his vision cleared, he heard nothing but the familiar ringing in his ears, his body feeling slightly floaty as he stumbled, head whipping around to try and find out what had happened. Every heartbeat thundered like a hundred drums, every breath suddenly more noticeable than ever before. 

 

He finally saw the woman then, still slumped up against the wall where she had been for the entire fight, out of the way, dying and easily forgettable. Her staff dropping to the floor and her face contorted in a defeated scream that Molly couldn’t hear. 

 

He saw Nott fall forwards, half her hair burned away, the ritual bowls scattering across the floor. Harsh jagged marks criss-crossing over her body, barely visible beneath the bandages and scorched cloak. Not even a chance for a final breath, some final words, a final thought. 

 

She hit the ground face-first, twitched once, and fell completely still.

 

And that was it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohohohoho, you thought Molly was gonna be the only one to suffer after this fight???? 
> 
> AJhdgsjkhtgkdjhga
> 
> Anyway, welcome to the halfway point of this fic! And also probably the single moment I was most stressed out about, and the one thing I realllyyyyy didn't want to happen in canon. Basically every time Nott was in danger in the most recent episodes, I was Freaking Out because I didn't really want her to die in canon, and then have her die here. But yeah. 
> 
> Heh. I tried to be subtle there, while still mentioning that Lightning Stick Girl (her name is Tanika by the way) was still alive every now and then. Dying, but still alive. Real important distinction there. 
> 
> Also I dunno if any of y'all noticed, but I changed the Archive Warnings a couple days ago from 'No Archive Warnings Apply' to 'Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings'. That's cause I didn't want to tip any of y'all off that I was gonna kill someone, so I decided to leave it ambiguous. 
> 
> Also also, we hit 50k here! yayyyyy Over 50k more to go
> 
> Also Also Also, the tag 'Turns Out Friends Dying In Front Of You Kinda Fucks You Up' wasn't just about Molly. :)
> 
> Also Also Also Also: Molly, with a knife in his stomach: mum says its my turn to use the healing magic


	22. Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nott wakes up on the ground and things seem strange.

Death is a funny thing, in that those most affected by it are usually the ones it does not touch. The dead no longer care, their souls separated from their bodies and guided to the afterlife, with very few exceptions. Even those few souls who do return, whether by magic or sorcery or divine intervention, rarely remember the experience. 

 

Nott woke up lying on her back, a tingling sensation fading from her body and the familiar sense of healing magic patching up every cut, scratch, and bruise. Her eyes felt heavy and her ears rang, and that was a little strange, since healing magic usually made her feel better and more energised. 

 

She supposed she must have fallen unconscious, because that was always more exhausting than regular old wounds. 

 

“Guh. Cultists are the  _ worst _ .” She mumbled, and heard multiple unmistakable sighs of relief from somewhere above her.

 

Looking up, she could see just about everyone in the Mighty Nein peering down at her, many of them marred by bruises or cuts. Jester’s face took up most of her vision, leaning over with her hands over Nott’s chest and there was a wide, relieved smile on her face but… she’d been crying. 

 

Now that Nott had noticed it she couldn’t see anything else, the tear tracks down Jester’s face, and that… that was very strange, because Jester was an emotional person sure, but she didn’t cry very often. She often came off as far too happy to cry, and seeing evidence that said otherwise was disconcerting and slightly scary in a way Nott couldn’t put her finger on.

 

She doesn’t have any time to think about it before surprisingly strong arms scoop her up into a hug and usually being touched so unexpectedly would cause her to struggle but right now she’s too tired and confused about why Jester had been crying to do anything. She cranes her head upwards just to see Caleb resting his chin on the top of her head, his arms encircling her and his eyes closed. 

 

“I’m sorry.” His voice barely qualified as a whisper, so quiet Nott’s sensitive ears barely heard it. But she did, and it just added to the confusion and uneasiness she already felt. 

 

“I’m okay now.” She didn’t try to get out of Caleb’s grip, and she wasn’t sure if he had ever held her this tightly before. Caleb wasn’t much of a hugger, just like how Jester wasn’t much of a crier, and she couldn’t help but wonder why they were like this now. She must have been fucked up by whatever it was that had knocked her unconscious. “Did we kill all the cultists?”

 

“Most of them.” Fjord was sitting cross-legged more or less opposite Caleb in the loose circle they and most of the Mighty Nein seemed to have gathered in. He glanced somewhere beyond Caleb and winced lightly, and Nott would have liked to see what he was looking at, but doing that would involve wriggling out of Caleb’s hug, and she didn’t want to do that just yet. 

 

“Oh Nott, I’m so sorry!” Cali was kneeling next to Fjord, her head in her hands and guilt plastered all over her face. “If I hadn’t given you all the bowls she wouldn’t have tried to hit you!”

 

“Cali, it’s not your fault.” Fjord said, patting her gently on the back. 

 

“Yeah-” Nott didn’t enjoy seeing Cali look so upset, and were those tear tracks on her face too? How many of them had been crying? “I’m alright now!”

 

“Are you sure?” Cali continued, fussing with her hair and still looking like she expected to be told off for something. “You’re not mad?”

 

Nott shook her head, trying to stop herself from frowning because something still didn’t feel right here. Cali was emotional in general sure, but she hadn’t been this upset when Beau had been knocked unconscious way back in the Labenda Swamp. Though Cali also hadn’t considered that event to be partially her fault, like she seemed to here. Still…

 

Looking around at the others, most of them seemed mollified by her multiple reassurances that she was fine, but the fact that they were all gathered around at all was odd. Yasha, Shakäste and Caduceus were as unreadable as ever, sitting down and watching with rapt attention, but not acting any stranger than they usually did. 

 

Fjord’s shoulders were sagging and he looked exhausted, though he often did once a particularly hard fight was over. He didn’t quite meet Nott’s eyes, the hand that wasn’t patting Cali’s back fidgeting. On the other side of him,slightly further away, Beau was sitting cross-legged, her head hung like she was taking a nap sitting up and her hands resting limply in her lap looking wrecked and absolutely covered in blood, like she’d spent a few minutes punching something or someone over and over as hard as she could. 

 

Then Nott looked at Molly, and that was when she knew. She supposed she’d already figured it out, but there was no way to deny it after that. 

 

Molly looked sad. It was as foreign as Jester crying and Caleb hugging her for longer than two seconds and waking up on the ground with absolutely everyone looking over her. If sadness was an emotion that Molly held, it was not one he let play out on his face.

 

Yet there it was. His lips were tight, his eyebrows pinched, his eyes shining not with tears, but a great, conflicted sympathy and something else Nott couldn’t decipher. His ears were pinned back and his tail curled still around him, not flicking about like it sometimes did. Even his coat seemed to have lost some of its colour.

 

Everything about it just said that he knew. He understood. There was something new, something that linked them together far beyond the Mighty Nein. The very last thing she’d wanted. 

 

She’d died. 

 

“Oh shit.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

 

Those few final moments of her memory before waking up on the ground took on horrifying new meaning. Some people might have been shocked speechless by the undeniable revelation. But some people weren’t Nott.

 

“Holy fuck I  _ died _ .” Nearly everyone in the group flinched as the word, faces tightening. Caduceus was maybe the only one who had nearly no reaction.

 

“You did.” He confirmed, his staff resting on top of his lap. “Welcome back.” 

 

“It’s nice to see you are eloquent as ever.” Shakäste was the next to recover, giving her a soft smile. The small joke (if it even counted as one) seemed to alleviate some of the lingering tension, tiny smiles beginning to form on faces and muted snickers sounding like music to her ears.

 

“Of course I am, I’m a genius.” She said, distantly wondering what the fuck ‘eloquent’ meant. She’d heard Caleb say it a few times, but Caleb spoke so many big words she didn’t ask for the meanings of all of them. “Wait, who made me like… not dead?”

 

Shakäste and Caduceus mutely pointed to Jester, who had wiped away all her remaining tears and beginning to get her smile back.

 

“Well, Caleb and Cali helped!” Jester’s voice was a little quick, before she seemed to think twice about sharing too much of the credit. “I mean, I did most of it but they helped lots too and the Traveller helped too obviously and I’m so glad it worked!” She shuffled around the others until she was next to Caleb, throwing her arms around both him and Nott since the goblin was still firmly stuck in Caleb’s grip.

 

“We’re all glad.” Fjord said, a shaky smile on his face. 

 

“I wouldn’t mind getting out of here now, though.” Molly said, his expression now carefully neutral and his hands rubbing his arms. “We can loot the place, destroy those bowls, and leave. I’ve had enough cultist fighting for a… the rest of eternity.”

 

There was a murmured consensus and a short awkward silence as they all glanced around each other, before Beau finally huffed and stood up, the rest of them following suit. 

 

“You can let go now Caleb.” Nott whispered as quietly as she could as the others stood up, shooting glances at each other before folding arms of stuffing hands into pockets and wandering around the room, kicking at bodies or resuming the looting they’d been doing before the fight. 

 

Caleb exhaled, his body stiff. He smelled even more like smoke and soot than he usually did, but that was relatively normal after a fight. “Ja. Okay.”

 

His arms loosened and fell away, but before Nott climbed off his lap she turned around and hugged him properly, just for a few seconds but doing it as tight as she could. 

 

“I am glad you are okay.” Caleb said. 

 

“Yeah, me too.” Nott said wistfully, getting off Caleb’s lap so that the wizard could stand up, before looking down at her arms. Some of the bandages were scorched and burned away completely, revealing jagged and criss-crossing scars that curled from her back all the way down her arms, faded from quick healing magic but likely to never fully disappear.

 

A shiver went down her spine and Nott pulled her cloak - freshly mended from Jester - around her, letting her arms disappear within them so no one could see. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are still alive there. heheheh. 
> 
> I was never gonna have Nott dead for long (there's three clerics, the biggest decision for me with that was deciding which one was gonna do it). This was one of the things I'd planned for a story as soon as I began actually planning it (so somewhere around chapter 2-3) because if Note was about Molly getting over his death, Bridge is about the rest of the Nein getting over his death and ALSO getting over death in general because they're adventurers and its an occupational hazard. So in order to get that second half of character development going - notice how prior to this a lot of the Nein basically said 'okay Molly died, but it'll all be fine as long as NO ONE ELSE dies' - I had to kill someone. I briefly considered killing two people (Jester or Fjord probably woulda been my second choices) but that would've been too complicated. 
> 
> So all I had to decide was WHO to temporarily off. Molly was out because he'd already died. Caduceus and Shakäste were out because they aren't OG members of the Nein (I wanted an OG member for maximum emotional impact). Everyone else was fair game, but I decided to go with who I thought would have the maximum emotional impact and also be surprising. Personally, in canon I think Beau will be the next one to die (She's always in the front of battles she's fallen unconscious the most, it's gonna happen eventually and im probably gonna cry) but I've also already written Beau dying so I decided not to retread that ground here lol. 
> 
> So there's some of my reasoning for this. Once I decided, I went wild cramming in as much foreshadowing as I could (that scene at the end of chapter 16 where Molly and Nott spoke about death and how they didn't want anyone else to die? I was DYING writing that scene) and since no one commented predicting someone was gonna die I think I was successful. Either that or I'm not real good at foreshadowing but hey, I try. 
> 
> Anyway, so that's that. There's a lot the Mighty Nein needs to deal with now.
> 
> Yeet.


	23. Good Riddance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein scour the abandoned temple.

Everyone was very frazzled. Yes, that was the word to describe it. Some of them were subdued, some of them were solemn, some of them were extremely relieved, but everyone was frazzled. Processing exactly what had happened in the past few minutes would likely be a task for later, staring up at the stars in the dead of night or while listening to the sounds of hooves beating on the road as they travelled to where ever they headed next.  

 

For now it felt more like they were all drifting around, the usual giddy, post battle, ‘we can technically chalk that up as a victory right?’ feelings settling in as they looted crates, racks and corpses for anything good before moving on throughout the rest of the crypt. 

 

Molly felt almost detached from what was happening around him, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his coat for lack of anything else to do with them. He picked over Ivory’s corpse, while Yasha and Cali dealt with the bowls, Beau handled the corpse of the warhammer-wielding human Yasha had killed, Shakäste shuffled through the corpse of the burnt man that Fjord had killed, and Caduceus made his way to all of them to do his weird moss decomposing thing. Kinda fun to look at, but weird.

 

Still, at least that meant he wouldn’t have to look at any of the corpses for too much longer. 

 

Shakäste had also picked up the mangled and warped lightning stick - which had then been identified by Caleb as the much more dramatic sounding but no less accurate Staff of Thunder and Lightning, apparently very powerful and quite rare - and tucked it under his cloak, which no one who noticed complained about. The corpse of the woman who had wielded it would not end up decomposed by Caduceus, mostly because there was no corpse left. The spot where she had been slumped was now nothing more than a scorched outline and splatters of blood on the wall, scattered piles of ashes drifting on the floor, and fragments of bones that they all either ignored or kicked at disrespectfully if they bothered to get close at all.  

 

Molly glanced over his shoulder at the spot for a moment before looking away, back down to the body of the cultist they’d travelled all the way out here to find in the first place. Dead and on the ground she hardly seemed intimidating or powerful at all.

 

She didn’t actually seem to have much on her person besides a fairly normal looking dagger, components for spells, and a few small rings that didn’t appear to do much at all. Her clothes were worn (and slightly wrecked from the battle) and looked like they’d been torn and repaired multiple times. The most elaborate piece of clothing she wore was the long cloak that all of the cultists had been wearing, the fabric heavy but soft like velvet. It was also torn to shreds and stained with blood, but it still felt nice. 

 

It was rather pitiful, if not for the fact that she and her friends had killed Nott and fought them all and been associated with people who had been associated with... Lucien. So Molly felt absolutely no pity for her. 

 

He dug around in her pockets and found only a few small copper pieces and some other cheap-looking trinkets. Figuring Nott would probably enjoy them, he tucked them into a pocket to give to her later, standing up just as Caduceus came around to do his dead people magic. 

 

Molly took a few steps back to give him space, watching as Caduceus lay a hand on Ivory’s shoulder, decay taking hold almost immediately and moss springing up between his fingers and spreading over the body. Tiny little mushrooms began to pop up, the body looking days into its decomposition in a matter of seconds. 

 

It was super gross, but still very fun to look at. 

 

“So that’s where the dead people tea comes from?” He asked, folding his arms and trying to keep his voice light. 

 

Caduceus let out a long, exasperated sigh of someone who had been asked about ‘dead people tea’ enough times to actually become whatever counted as annoying to him. “Not quite. The flowers and plants I like to use in my tea grow in the ground above where a body is buried. Using the plants directly off a dead body isn’t very sanitary.” 

 

“Huh.” For once, Molly wasn’t quite certain how to continue the conversation. He still felt uneasy, off-balance in a way he hadn’t felt since reuniting with the Mighty Nein, like one more nudge would send him barrelling off a cliff he hadn’t realised was there. He hated that feeling.

 

Rubbing the back of his neck, he pivoted around and walked away to leave Caduceus to his work. Most of the other corpses had been picked through by now, coin pocketed and any trinkets tucked away to be examined more closely later on. They slowly drifted throughout the rest of the crypt, finding a disappointing amount of fun magic stuff. As it turned out, fugitive cultists living in an underground abandoned temple didn’t exactly live in the lap of luxury.

 

Besides their creepy cult equipment that they had apparently decided was more important than other essential items like mattresses and half-decent looking food supplies, there was very little to find. Molly nearly walked in on Caleb examining a large stack of papers and scrolls, all probably instructions on creepy cult rituals or otherwise ambiguously evil (or just straight up evil) magic that they’d probably burn once Caleb was done looking at it. 

 

Maybe they could just collapse the whole crypt and be done with it. That would be fun, at least. Then there wouldn’t be a trace of what had happened here today at all. 

 

Nott was with Caleb too, rummaging through the boxes that the papers and scrolls had been stored in, and seeming unsatisfied with whatever she found within them. Molly, still standing slightly in the doorway, neither Caleb or Nott having noticed his presence yet, hesitated.

 

He wasn’t completely sure how he felt about Nott’s death. The feeling he was most certain about was absolute rage. At the cultist who’d killed her, at the other cultists for fighting them in the first place, at Sly for… everything. Just Sly in general pissed him off. Then he was also slightly angry at himself, and then angry for being angry at himself.

 

He  _ knew  _ none of it had been his fault. But he’d told himself that he was it. He’d died, he’d come back  to life, he’d reunited with the others, and that was it. No more death. Days or weeks or months from now he’d be able to joke about being a dead man walking and everyone would be able to roll their eyes or laugh and most importantly, no one else would be able to claim the same thing. 

 

Of course the universe had to go and prove him wrong, didn’t it. And why not throw Lucien’s bullshit at him at the same time? Why the fuck not? 

 

It would have been easier if they’d been able to kill Sly and those other two. But no. They’d managed to teleport away to who the fuck knows where, and now they knew that  _ he  _ was around, and alive, and they maybe thought he was still Lucien. 

 

Hopefully they’d vanished to another plane of existence, or another continent, or somewhere they’d never run into him again. But the knowledge that Sly was still out there, that Lucien’s past still clung to him like a ghost that would never disappear as long as he lived in this body, was unsettling. 

 

He desperately wanted to just box up this entire day and shove it into the very back of his mind where he would never have to look at it again. Then he frowned, because  _ that  _ strategy had worked so well the last time he’d tried it. 

 

Yeah, no, he didn’t want a repeat of that. He’d have to figure something out, but right now he was in no state to do that. 

 

Nott scoffed loudly, kicking at the box and turning around. Her ears pricked upwards a little when she saw Molly, but there was still a light frown on her face.

 

“Molly! There’s absolutely nothing in this place! It’s like they lived like hobos!” She turned around and kicked the box again for good measure, her voice tinged with irritation and sounding remarkably normal. 

 

It was comforting in a way, to see her so annoyed at there being almost nothing for her to steal. He knew Nott had been accustomed to death, they all were, but it was nice to see that she wasn’t noticeably torn up about her own. 

 

Digging into his pockets to find the rings and trinkets he’d scavenged off Ivory’s body, Molly grinned, tossing them at the goblin. “I’m pretty sure they  _ were  _ hobos. But they do have some stuff.” 

 

“Ooh-ack!” Nott yelped as she tried to catch as many of the tiny projectiles as possible, nabbing a few and having to pick up the others off the ground. “Hmm.”

 

“I’ve got no use for them, do what you like with them.” Molly said, shrugging his shoulders and glancing over at Caleb, who was sitting on the ground against the wall, reading through the papers. “Anything interesting in there?” 

 

Caleb didn’t answer at first, his shoulders stiff and his eyes focused firmly on the pages, so Molly repeated the question. Twice. Eventually he walked over and tapped the wizard gently on the top of the head, startling him out of his focus. “That must be some very cool magic you’re looking at.” Molly said, taking a quick glance at the papers and immediately regretting it. He had  _ no  _ idea what was written on there. 

 

“Ah-ja, it is.” Caleb looked up at Molly before glancing back to Nott, who was still shuffling through the trinkets Molly had given her, squinting over each one before tucking them all into different pockets depending on some unknown criteria. “Very cool. And very, very evil, also.”

 

“Like, end of the world evil?” Molly asked, tilting his head curiously. 

 

Caleb made a vague, noncommittal gesture with his hand, putting some of the papers down in front of him and picking up a new pile. “Not directly. But releasing the Scaled Tyrant would not leave the world in a good state.” 

 

“Wow. What were those cultists thinking?” Molly scoffed, leaning against the wall and folding his arms.

 

“Most likely they thought they would receive something in return for releasing the Scaled Tyrant. Power, money, immortality… It could be anything.” Caleb’s voice was more subdued than normal, not making eye contact and looking more exhausted than his usual dishevelment entailed. 

 

Immortality. The word sent a chill up Molly’s spine, once again bringing back the memories of Sly and every word he’d spoken to him. Immortality was what Lucien had been hoping for, wasn’t it? What he’d been searching for, done a ritual for,  _ died  _ for-

 

No. Fuck Lucien. There was no point pondering on that asshole and what his goals were, because he was dead. Finished. Done. Permanently exiled from life. Good riddance, goodbye, fuck you. 

 

Molly felt a grimace slide over his face before he tried to cover it up, glancing up to see neither Caleb nor Nott had noticed, too focused on their own tasks and avoiding eye contact to look. Impossible to tell what any of them were really thinking. He wasn’t even sure what  _ he  _ was thinking.  

 

Oh gods this was awkward, and with each second the silence ticked on, Molly only felt more and more restless. There was just too much to say, but not enough time for any of them to figure out how to say it, and so that just let them all sitting there. Waiting for… something. Molly wasn’t sure what.

 

He wasn’t sure of much of anything right now. It felt terrible. 

 

A tiny whooshing noise broke the silence, whizzing past Molly’s ears before her felt the tickling of feathers against his arm. Stacy perched on his hand for a moment, her head tilting upwards at him with beady eyes before zipping off, keeping a safe distance around Caleb and zooming around Nott’s head before returning to Molly, chirping loudly. 

 

Molly silently breathed a sigh of relief, smiling softly at the hummingbird and holding up a finger for her to properly perch on. “I think Shakäste may be looking for us.”   
  


“Oh. Are we going now?” Nott had moved over to the other side of Caleb at some point, perking up at the prospect of leaving. 

 

“Hey may just be checking where we are, but I doubt the others found much.” Molly said, pushing back from the wall and glancing down at Caleb. Stacy chirped a few times before zipping away, vanishing through the doorway in seconds. “Ready to leave?”

 

Caleb didn’t answer for a few moments, before glancing up from the papers. “Ja. This magic is… not useful.” He gathered all of the scrolls together in a pile before casting a spell and setting it alight, the three of them watching as the magic spells the cultists had tried so hard to keep safe burned to ashes. Good riddance. 

 

“Let’s go.” Nott said once the final word on the final page was nothing but dust, holding her cloak around her like it was cold. Caleb and Molly both nodded, leaving the otherwise empty room behind them.

 

Thanks to Caleb’s excellent navigational skills, it didn’t take them long to get back to the room where they had fought. Everyone else had gathered just outside of it, the door - still somehow attached to its hinges despite the battle that had raged around it - closed tight. No one looked particularly thrilled, but no one looked extremely upset anymore either. Instead, everyone seemed to have settled somewhere within the range of thinly veiled irritation and cautiously optimistic cheer, though how genuine any given person was being at the moment was up for debate. 

 

“Did you guys find anything?” Jester asked, the most outwardly happy of them by far. Still slightly off from her normal exuberance, but she was close. 

 

“Nothing but rituals to end the world and unleash unspeakable evils.” Molly said brightly.

 

“Oh gods, not those things.” Cali grimaced, like they’d found nothing more exciting than a loaf of moldy bread. “What did you do with them?”

 

“Caleb burnt them all up.” Nott said, looking down at her fingers, which now held some of the rings Molly had given her. She paused for a moment, before looking up. “That’s the right thing to do, right?”

 

Cali instantly looked relieved, nodding a few times. “Oh yeah. If they don’t have the bowls they can’t do the rituals, but if they don’t have the spells they  _ definitely  _ can’t do it.” 

 

“Well then, it sounds like our business here is concluded.” Shakäste said. “We’d best get going.” 

 

“Finally.” Molly muttered, feeling slightly mollified by the grumbling agreement of just about everyone else. He glanced up to see Shakäste’s eyebrow twitching, his face steeled in a familiar thoughtfully neutral expression. 

 

They couldn’t have left any sooner, Molly’s nerves picking up as they got closer and closer to the exit. The first rays of late afternoon sunshine to fall on his face was one of the most comforting things on the entire planet, spirits picking up immediately after they’d left that horrible underground crypt. 

 

They let the giant old altar slide over the entrance once more before Yasha and Beau pulled out the stones that had been the opening mechanism, smashing and stomping on it until it was utterly unusable. Neither took much pleasure in the task, and when it was done they all happily turned their backs on the abandoned temple. 

 

Molly found himself walking close to the back of the group, though Beau ended up trailing just a few steps further behind him. He ran his hands down the fabric of his coat, feeling for any tears or rips that he’d have to mend. Thankfully it seemed mostly intact, and only slightly bloodstained. His tunic, that the dagger had gone through when Sly had stabbed him, was considerably more bloody and ripped, but not unsalvageable. He could handle that. 

 

He glanced up in front of him. The party walked more or less together, but noticeably more disjointed than usual. Yasha was by his side, standing tall and silent. Caduceus and Shakäste were a few steps ahead, not seeming to say much to each other but seeming alright, all things considered. Cali and Jester were walking on either side of Caleb and Nott, the three girls chattering in happy voices that were tinged with exhaustion, but none of them willing to admit it. Fjord was just a step or two in front of them, often glancing over his shoulder at them and occasionally adding something to their conversation.

 

Molly looked over his shoulder to make sure Beau hadn’t fallen behind, mostly because she’d been wrecked in the fight - just like almost every fight, the absolute maniac - and there’d been only so much healing to go around after Nott’s resurrection. 

 

She was still comfortably close by, her arms folded tight and looking healed up enough that he probably didn’t need to worry about her collapsing or anything. Her eyes were firmly on the ground as she walked, kicking at stones on the ground like they’d personally wronged her.

 

Without warning, Molly stopped dead in his tracks, turning to the side so he could see Beau better without craning his head around. Yasha noticed immediately, stopping herself after only another step and glancing at him curiously. Beau was utterly oblivious, continuing to stare at the ground and marching right past him, nearly running into Yasha until she side-stepped out of the way.

 

Molly didn’t say anything, simply starting to walk again by her side. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted to say. There was just… too much in his head for him to figure out anything to say about anything. So he just walked next to her, Yasha doing the same thing on her other side. The others were a little further ahead now, but still close enough that they weren’t left behind. 

 

They soon left the Old City of Solanarose, citizens going about their day beginning to drift in around them. The sounds of birds and conversations were filling the air rather than spells and slashes of blades, and Molly felt more and more relaxed the further they got from those dusty bricks and abandoned temples. 

 

Good riddance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye yucky temple, hello lots of trying to figure out feelings.


	24. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly's character development from the last story kicks in.

They checked themselves into the first inn they could find that was close to where they’d left the horses, carts and pets. Everyone’s mood seemed to lift at least a little bit once they got inside a relatively safe building, Jester letting Sprinkle curl around her neck and sending Nugget off to bounce around everyone's feet and get as many pats as possible. Professor Thaddeus stubbornly refused to move from the cart, the few weeks of being Beau’s pet having apparently instilled a great laziness within him. 

 

Things seemed fairly normal throughout dinner, with everyone seeming to silently agree not to discuss the specifics of what had happened in the abandoned temple. The fact that other people were around helped, as all of them were wary of being overheard by the wrong people. 

 

It felt like a bit of a break, with Jester and Cali obviously doing their best to keep spirits up, but everyone still knew they were all just gently tip-toeing around the elephant in the room because none of them were ready to point it out. 

 

It didn’t take long for people to start drifting up to go to bed. Or perhaps to talk. Molly’s feet felt like lead as he walked up the stairs, trying to find the room Shakäste was in. He vaguely remembered the innkeeper telling the group that their rooms would be the four on the left of the third floor, starting two doors from the stairs. Hoping he’d remembered the numbers correctly, Molly walked up to said doors, rapping gently on the first one.

 

“Yes?” Jester’s voice filtered out from inside, slightly muffled and sounding a little tired. 

 

“Do you know which room Shakäste’s in?” Molly rubbed his eyes, the exhaustion from the days events having been slowly creeping up on him for the past hour or so and now hitting him full force.

 

There was a short silence, and then the door creaked open, Jester poking her head out and looking down the corridor. “He’s in the third room that way, I think.” She said, pointing before glancing up at Molly. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’ve been worse.” Molly said, allowing himself a short chuckle that faded away as Jester’s face tightened.“I just need some sleep.” 

 

“Okaaaay.” Jester said, her eyes flickering back inside her room before looking back at Molly. “Goodnight Molly.”

 

Molly gave her a half-smile, reaching up a hand and patting her on the head. “Goodnight Jester.”

 

She stuck her tongue out at him before disappearing back into her room, the door closing with a light creak. Yawning, Molly walked down the hallway to the door Jester had pointed out, knocking on the door just in case he’d walked to the wrong one in his exhaustion. But Shakäste’s voice was unmistakable and he opened the door as soon as he heard it, pausing only a moment to ascertain which bed the man was sitting on before flopping down on the other, groaning into the stiff pillow. 

 

“Tired?” Shakäste asked neutrally. Molly just groaned louder in response, the sound muffled by the pillow. 

 

“I agree.” Shakäste’s voice didn’t change and Molly snickered, turning his head so that it was resting sideways on the pillow and his face was facing Shakäste. 

 

The man was sitting cross-legged at the top of the bed leaning against the wall, on top of the sheets with his pillow pushed up behind him as a back rest. His head rested against the wooden walls, tilted slightly upwards so that his face was looking up at the ceiling, though his eyes were closed. Stacy was perched on his shoulder, her head tilted and looking in Molly’s direction, so chances were Shakäste was looking at him. 

 

Molly could talk to Shakäste, he knew. Shakäste seemed to be waiting for it, sitting nicely on his bed so that it was clear he wasn’t going to sleep just yet. Not outright asking for a conversation, but inviting one. 

 

But Shakäste, as amazing as he was, didn’t feel like the right person to talk to about… everything. Especially everything about Sly. Molly knew he needed someone who would understand, at least a little. But no one else knew anything more than he did. He doubted anyone else had even overheard anything Sly had said to him. 

 

He could talk to Shakäste about some things though. 

 

Molly rolled over onto his back, spreading his arms out on the bed and counting the gaps in the floorboards above him. “That was fucked up, right?” 

 

There was a short pause, but Molly didn’t glance over to see how Shakäste reacted, since he barely reacted to anything anyway. 

 

“In general… yes. Yes it was.” He said evenly. “That staff of lightning and thunder was unexpected.”

 

“That staff was the worst.” Molly mumbled, shifting his hands onto his chest and fiddling restlessly with his fingers. 

 

“Still, we all managed to escape, so that technically counts as a success.” Shakäste said, and Molly felt a corner of his mouth turn up, before quickly twitching back down.

 

“Nott died.” He said bluntly. “Sure, we resurrected her, but she  _ died _ . I… I didn’t want anyone else to die.” 

 

“None of us did.” Shakäste’s voice softened. “It was a terrible event, but Jester was right there to bring her back. And if she hadn’t done it, Caduceus or I would have. No one in this group will be dying for good anytime soon.” 

 

They shouldn’t  _ get  _ to the point of dying, Molly thought distantly, not when they have three clerics. But he didn’t voice those thoughts, because he’d heard Jester not-so-subtly complain about everyone else complaining about her not healing enough. She, and the other two clerics, would never intentionally let things get so bad that one of them actually died. Nott’s death hadn’t been because the clerics weren’t doing their jobs, it had been too quick for that.

 

There was no one really to blame, except for the asshole who’d killed Nott in the first place. The only thing they could really blame themselves for was not noticing that she’d been alive the whole time. Not kicking the lightning stick away, or picking it up for themselves. 

 

“Fights are chaotic.” Shakäste said, as if reading his thoughts. Maybe he could, Molly wouldn’t put it past him. “It’s all too easy to miss something, and that’s not your fault.”

 

“If it gets someone  _ killed  _ though-” Molly began, but Shakäste was having none of it. 

 

“Then we handle it. We can’t see the future, and sometimes awful things happen. The best we can do is fix them and not make the same mistakes twice.” 

 

It would be better if they never made any mistakes at all. 

 

Which was unrealistic, but it would be better. 

 

“Yeah.” He said, running his hands through his hair and biting the inside of his cheek. There was more, there was so much more he wanted to talk about, but not with Shakäste. “Hey, do you know which room Yasha is in?” 

 

“I think she’s just to the left of us.” Shakäste’s voice had just a hint of curiosity, but he said nothing else. 

 

Molly stood up, dusting imaginary dust off of his cloak and glancing up at Shakäste, who shifted his position, turning so that he was facing Molly’s bed rather than the front of the room. 

 

“I’ll come back pretty soon, you can go to bed if you want.” Molly walked up to the door, glancing back over his shoulder.

 

Shakäste shook his head, waving a hand at Molly. “Don’t worry about it. There’s something I want to ask Jester anyway, I’ll go visit her now.” 

 

One eyebrow raised, Molly decided not to question what Shakäste wanted to ask Jester, opening the door and slipping out into the corridor once again. Going one door down, he knocked, since there was a chance Caduceus was in there and Molly wasn’t sure how the firbolg felt about unannounced intrusions. Yasha was usually okay with Molly barging in whenever he pleased (there had only been so much privacy in the circus), but others tended to not be so comfortable. 

 

Caduceus did in fact open the door, not looking surprised to see Molly standing there, though given his usual lack of reaction that didn’t necessarily mean anything. 

 

“Hello Molly. I was just making some tea, would you like some?” He asked, opening the door wider to allow Molly to step through. 

 

Inside Yasha was sitting on the edge of her bed, her legs hanging off the side and her feet resting lightly on the floor. Her greatsword, still bloodstained, sat in her lap, and she was cleaning it with a very dirty cloth, with mixed success. Caduceus’ bed was rumpled and his armour - which Molly now noticed the firbolg wasn’t wearing - was stacked in a neat pile on the end of the bed, while his tea set was resting on the ground, a small fire underneath blocked from the floor by a thin sheet of metal.

 

Yasha looked up when Caduceus said Molly’s name, smiling ever so slightly when she saw him. 

 

Molly clambered onto her bed to lie next to her, wriggling underneath her arm and not-so-subtly pushing her greatsword onto the floor so that he could rest his head on her knees. “Hello beautiful.”

 

“Hello.” Yasha said, looking down at him with the bloodied cloth still in her hand. She dropped it down onto the floor and patted his forehead once, before shifting backwards so that she could lean her back against the wall now that Molly had interrupted her productivity. He had no regrets, moving with her and shuffling until he was comfortable. 

 

“What kind of tea do you have?” He asked, looking at Caduceus, who had closed the door to the room and was now kneeling on the ground in front of his tea set, which the innkeeper would probably have a fit over if they knew he was operating it (fire and all) inside. 

 

“Right now just some peach tea. I only have some left, so now is as good a time as any to use it up.” Caduceus said, not taking his eye off his tea. 

 

“Do you need something?” Yasha asked, automatically beginning to run her fingers through his hair, separating the clumps and teasing out knots. It was comfortingly repetitive, and Molly closed his eyes to just enjoy it for a moment. What he needed could wait for a little while.

 

“Yeah, but first, how long have you two been rooming together? How did it even happen in the first place?” He asked, opening his eyes and glancing back and forth between Yasha and Caduceus. They were by far the most unexpected roommate pair. 

 

Simultaneously, both of them shrugged. “We were the odd ones out, I suppose.” Yasha says quietly. “We started rooming together back in Zadash.”

 

“It was cheaper than both of us getting separate rooms.” Caduceus said. “I think it worked out well.” 

 

Then both of them nodded at once, and Molly realised that perhaps his assessment of these two being an unexpected roommate pair was incorrect. They were certainly very similar in some respects. 

 

“Do you make tea in your room every night?” Molly asked, glancing down at Caduceus.

 

“Not every night.” Caduceus said mildly, allowing Molly to come up with his reasons as to why he did tonight. It wasn’t hard to think of a few that made this particular day unique. 

 

“It’s very nice tea.” Yasha said.

 

“Thank you.” Caduceus smiled languidly, before looking back down at his tea. “I think this is nearly ready. Would you like some, Molly? I think you said peach tea was very good, and I’ve made enough for a few cups.” 

 

Molly thought about it for a few moments. “Why not. I’ll see if Yuli knew what she was talking about.” He said, wriggling up into a sitting position and watching Caduceus carefully pour out the tea into some cups.

 

It was a very pale pinkish-orange colour, with a vaguely familiar fruity smell that Molly supposed was the smell of peaches. He took a sip, very nearly scalding his mouth and gagged, barely managing to avoid dropping the cup all over his legs.

 

Yasha and Caduceus said nothing, simply blowing gently on their own tea before taking sips, both of them looking very relaxed despite the days events. The two of them definitely seemed well-suited. Between Caduceus’ tea and Yasha’s general relaxing presence, they could probably rival Shakäste for the ability to calm him down. 

 

They sipped their tea in near-silence together for a few minutes, Molly enjoying the short peace. He could feel Yasha looking his way every now and then, probably waiting for Molly to talk about whatever he had come in to talk about. Molly wasn’t sure if he was alright with Caduceus being there, but he didn’t really want to kick the firbolg out of his own room. He could live with it though, he doubted Caduceus would judge him too harshly. 

 

Still, he waited until he was finished with his tea, politely declining another cup from Caduceus, who wasn’t offended. Yeah, Molly could live with Caduceus being there. They’d been travelling together for some time, but he was still probably the member of the Mighty Nein that Molly knew the least, simply because they hadn’t spent as much time together. Still, he was so calming and had such a discerning eye, Molly was fairly sure he wouldn’t be able to hide much from him anyway. 

 

“Okay, so a thing happened during the fight today.” Molly started off saying, putting his empty cup down in front of him and resting his hands on his knees. Caduceus hesitated for a moment, perhaps slightly startled at his sudden speaking, or perhaps expecting a bit of lead-in before jumping right into the talking. Yasha didn’t react at all, far too used to Molly’s stories. She simply took another sip of her tea, listening closely.

 

“There were those cultists that Cali knew, but then there were those other cultists. The tiefling and the dragonborn and those two humans, right? Yasha, you killed one of them at the end, I think. The ones who got away.” Molly continued, waving his hands in vague hand gestures to accompany his tale. He gritted his teeth as he spoke about how they’d gotten away, another reminder that they could be anywhere. 

 

“I doubt we’ll run into them again any time soon.” Caduceus said mildly, and Molly wondered if he and Shakäste were distant cousins, since they both seemed capable of reading minds. 

 

“Yeah, maybe… the point is, those particular cultists, I’m pretty sure all of them had the same kind of…” Molly’s voice trailed off a moment, his eyes darting instinctively towards the door. He could just leave this conversation right now and never talk about it again. He could remain the only one who knew anything about the true nature of Sly and the others. He  _ could _ . 

 

But it was dumb and the last time he’d tried bottling up his feelings he’d nearly fucked up his friendship with Shakäste, so he wouldn’t. 

 

“They’ve all got the same kind of freaky blood magic as me.” He finally said all in a rush. “Probably. Oh yeah, and the tiefling called me Lucien so they probably knew that bitch. Er, definitely knew that bitch.” 

 

There was a pause. A glimmer of confusion crossed Caduceus’ face, and he subtly looked towards Yasha, seemingly trying to gauge her reaction to find out if this was a bad thing or not. Which it was. It was a very bad thing. 

 

Yasha was frowning, her shoulders stiffening ever so slightly and her eyes looking straight ahead at the opposite wall for a few moments, deep in thought.

 

“That is… not good.” She finally said, taking a long and slow sip of her tea before silently handing it off to Caduceus for a refill. 

 

“No.” Molly said, his shoulders slumping and allowing himself to slouch against the wall, leaning over onto Yasha’s arm. “It’s not at all.”

 

“Did they say anything else to you?” Yasha asked, her voice carefully measured and silently giving Molly every opportunity to say no. Yasha wouldn’t make him say anything he didn’t want to. 

 

Well, now that he’d started, he might as well keep going.

 

“Vaguely. A lot of it was dramatic nonsense about ‘ _ ooOooOH Lucien it’s been so lonnnggg what happeennneedd’ _ ” Molly waved his arms around and rolled his eyes, gagging as he said Lucien’s name. “He talked about some ritual stuff and immortality and…”

 

He grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m pretty sure they’d joined up with Ivory to help release the Scaled Tyrant or whatever to get immortality or something in return. Hopefully they won’t be able to do that anymore. But I think Lucien was trying to get immortality too.” 

 

Yasha and Caduceus remained cautiously silent, sipping their tea and listening carefully. Caduceus still seemed slightly confused and was staying quiet because of that, a thoughtful look on his face, while Yasha’s frown deepened. 

 

“I think that’s how I ended up in the ground. Lucien fucked up his immortality ritual and then… I appeared.” 

 

It was funny saying it aloud. A weight lifted off his shoulders, but at the same time it seemed to come crashing down as a reality, even if it was just a theoretical one. He’d never really speculated much on how he’d ended up in the ground without any memories. He’d never  _ wanted  _ to. Even finding out that his body used to belong to some idiot named Lucien, he’d wanted nothing to do with it.

 

But Lucien and everything that went with him kept sneaking up on him, so here he was. 

 

“That is… very strange.” Caduceus spoke for the first time since Molly had started explaining. “I’m obviously missing some context here, but… do you know anything else about this Lucien person?”

 

“Basically nothing.” Molly said, sighing. “All I know is that he used to walk around in this body, he’s probably the reason I have freaky blood magic, and he basically died a little over two years ago, leaving me to take his place. Oh, and apparently his cultist friends are still running around the world trying to live forever.” 

 

“Are you worried about Lucien?” Yasha asked, her words slow and carefully chosen.

 

Molly considered that for a moment. There were many things about Lucien that were worrying. But was he worried about Lucien? 

 

“No. He’s dead and gone and he can go fuck himself for all I care.” He said bitterly. “It’s all his buddies that keep coming back to haunt me.”

 

“There was Cree back in Zadash too…” Yasha said, putting her cup down and folding her arms. “This is very annoying.”

 

“You’re telling me.” Molly grumbled, covering his face with his hands. “Cree was… fine, she was at least relatively nice, I just… I keep trying to leave Lucien behind but he keeps  _ finding  _ me.”

 

“I will kill that tiefling and the others for you if we see them again.” Yasha said solemnly, and Molly had no doubt she would. 

 

He nodded in acknowledgement of it, but he still felt like shit. “All I want is to live  _ my  _ life, without Lucien fucking it up.” Now he was just full on venting, but screw it. He deserved a vent. 

 

Yasha nodded in sympathy, her gaze shifting away from Molly for a moment before coming back. 

 

“Perhaps you could dye your hair. Then they won’t recognise you.” She said. Molly did a double-take, unsure if she was actually serious or not (it was hard to tell sometimes), before noticing the light smirk on her face.

 

He couldn’t help but grin, snickering. “Yeah, and maybe if you slouch over a bit people won’t be so intimidated.” 

 

“That may actually make her more intimidating.” Caduceus pointed out.

 

“Very true.” Molly said, before exhaling. “I wonder how many of Lucien’s friends are still out there… and how many want to kill him.” 

 

“Surely no more than the amount of people already trying to kill all of us.” Yasha said simply. “We can handle them.” 

 

Molly smiled again. They did tend to attract enemies like moths were attracted to light. It wasn’t much of a solution, to just accept that perhaps there was nothing he could do, but maybe it was enough. 

 

“I don’t really want to look over my shoulder the whole rest of my life.” Molly said. “However long it may be.” 

 

“You won’t have to. You’ve got us.” Yasha said, lifting up her hand and putting it around him, tugging him in close. 

 

Caduceus nodded, finally putting out the fire underneath his tea set and starting to pack it up. The entire room now had a pleasant peach smell permeating it, which was almost as calming as the tea itself had been. “This group is many things, but disloyal does not seem to be one of them.” 

 

Molly listened, almost surprised to realise that disloyal wasn’t a word he could really apply to the Mighty Nein anymore. He could have once, weeks or months ago when they were less of a group and more a colourful assortment of criminals, fugitives and whatever he and Yasha counted as united in a common goal of not dying. They’d failed the not dying part, but somehow they were still together, and he wasn’t sure if he could see them splitting apart. Not anymore.

 

“Fuck Lucien.” Yasha said slightly unexpectedly, speaking with finality. “You’re Mollymauk Tealeaf, you’re part of the Mighty Nein, and we won’t let him fuck with you.” 

 

A grin spread across his face, some of the uneasiness fading away. Yasha pressed a small kiss to the top of his head before hugging him tighter, a final consolidation of her promise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet heads up i still love Yasha also i think she and Caduceus could be really good friends, they didnt meet in the best circumstances in canon but here they had some time to get to know each other a bit (AKA they ended up sharing a room and realised both of them are pretty chill)


	25. Her Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nott gives the best encouragement speeches.

Nott usually slept in either Jester and Beau’s room, or Caleb and Fjord’s. More often it was the latter two, spending her night curled up on the end of Caleb’s bed. It was comforting, to know he was right there in case something happened, that she could stretch out her leg or arm and feel his foot to know he was still there. More recently she’d spent nights with Jester and Beau, usually because Jester liked to have gossip sessions and Nott loved to join in. 

 

It was a bit different with those two. When she stayed overnight with them she’d usually be on Jester’s bed, since Beau moved around far too much in the middle of the night whenever she was on a bed. In bedrolls on the road she was always still, but something about a mattress just sent her crazy during the night. 

 

Tonight though, Nott definitely wasn’t going to stay with Jester and Beau. She loved them both, but tonight she had to make sure Caleb was okay. He was upset and far more quiet than usual, and she hated that, hated that her death was undoubtedly the cause of it. 

 

She always knocked on Caleb and Fjord’s door because Fjord always got funny about people barging in unexpectedly, just in case he was naked or whatever. Caleb didn’t care as much, but he preferred people to knock for the politeness of it. Nott personally didn’t care about knocking, but Caleb and Fjord did, so she did it. 

 

Fjord opened the door, blinking once down at Nott and not looking very surprised at all. 

 

“Hey Nott.” He said, scratching at the back of his neck and looking around a bit awkwardly. 

 

Nott nodded a brief greeting before slipping past him inside the room, scanning it quickly. It was a fairly normal room, two beds with a small window. Nothing special, not too many places where one could hide valuables. 

 

Caleb was sitting on his bed, his bag settled next to him and some books pulled out from his coat and stacked on his other side, one open and resting on his lap. His head perked up when Fjord had greeted Nott, his shoulders slumping just as quickly when he saw her. Nott frowned inwardly, trying to make sure it didn’t show on her face. 

 

He  _ was  _ upset. She’d already known it, but she didn’t like to see reminders of it. She couldn’t have that. 

 

“Yeah, I’m gonna go check with Cali about something. I’ll be back.” Fjord said, quickly vanishing out of the room and closing the door behind him with slightly more force than was probably necessary. Good. Nott didn’t want an audience, and Caleb didn’t need one. 

 

“Hey Caleb.” She said, jumping up onto the bed and taking care not to disturb Caleb’s things. She settled down next to him, Caleb’s bag more or less wedged between them. “I think I’ll stay here tonight.” 

 

“Ja, okay.” Caleb said, his voice tired and low but with a hint of relief. “Are you alright?”

 

Nott nodded firmly, casting away any possibility of doubt. “I’m completely and perfectly fine. I’m pretty sure Jester used up all of her magic on me.” 

 

“Good. She should have.” Caleb said, nodding loosely himself, but with far less conviction than Nott had done it with. 

 

“Are  _ you  _ alright?” Nott took a chance, aware that she might not get a good response or an actual admittance of feelings very quickly. Still, he’d gotten a little bit better at it - emphasis on  _ little  _ \- so she was hopeful. Vaguely. Slightly. 

 

Sure enough, Caleb didn’t answer at first, hanging his head and suddenly focusing very hard on on his book. “I am fine.” 

 

“Okay, okay.” Nott said, fully aware that pushing too hard too quickly wouldn’t get her anywhere. “That’s good. Hopefully everyone else will be fine.”

 

“They are not the ones who died.” Caleb said plainly, a flash of regret flickering across his face once he’d said it. 

 

Nott’s ears twitched. That wasn’t good. 

 

“Just because they didn’t die doesn’t mean they’re not allowed to be… not fine.” She said, wincing a little at her rather crude word choices. But hey, whatever got the job done. “I won’t be upset just cause I’m the one who died. You’re allowed to be upset.”

 

“I’m not upset.” Caleb said bluntly. “Anymore. We killed the one responsible for it, so it’s fine now.” 

  
“Really?” Nott asked, incredulous. She leaned back, certain there was something she was missing here. There was something off, something she hadn’t quite figured out yet. 

 

Caleb exhaled deeply, still staring at his book. 

 

“Caleb… you’ve been reading the same page of that book this entire time. You’re a very fast reader.” Nott frowned. 

 

“It is because I am distracted.” Caleb mumbled, his accent seeming slightly more pronounced than usual, his words a little thicker. 

 

Nott’s frown deepened. There were so many things Caleb could be upset about. Maybe he was mad or upset she’d died at all. Maybe he blamed the others for it. Maybe… ugh, there were too many maybes! It was a nightmare. Perhaps there was a different strategy to use.

 

“So what are we going to do now?” She asked.

 

Caleb finally looked at her, his head jolting up ever so slightly, his hair nearly obscuring his eyes. “What do you mean?”

 

“Do you want to stay?” Her voice fell quiet, almost afraid of the possible answer. If Caleb had finally had enough, if he wanted to leave, she… she wasn’t a hundred percent sure she’d go with him. Well, she probably would, eventually. But she’d try and stop him. She didn’t want to leave the Mighty Nein, and though she’d follow Caleb to the ends of the earth, she wanted to follow the rest of the party too. 

 

There was a heavy, tension filled pause, one that clenched at Nott’s heart and filled her mind with panicked scenarios. She didn’t want to have to choose between Caleb and the Mighty Nein. She loved them all, almost as much as she loved Caleb. 

 

Finally, Caleb’s head tilted downwards, one of his hands twitching and his voice slightly muffled by his scarf. “Yes. I want to stay.” 

 

Nott was surprised by how much relief she felt at that simple statement. “That’s good. I don’t want to leave them.” 

 

“They are… valuable.” Caleb said, and Nott’s sigh of relief nearly turned sour. Oh Caleb. Even after everything, he had yet to really properly admit how much these people had wormed their way into his heart, both of their hearts. Nott knew why he was so hesitant, and she could sort of understand it, but it was still hard to see him hold everyone at a distance.

 

“Caleb…” She said, her voice trailing off as she realised she wasn’t sure what to say next. 

 

“If you get… killed again, they will help you.” Caleb’s voice was barely above a whisper, hardly convincing. But Nott was pretty sure he wasn’t trying to convince her of much of anything. 

 

“They’d help you too.” Nott said quickly, determined not to let Caleb leave this conversation without knowing how much he was a part of the Mighty Nein. 

 

Caleb didn’t answer, which as may as well have been him admitting that he disagreed. Fuck that noise. 

 

“Caleb, you know I love you.” She slid off the bed, planting herself right in front of Caleb on the floor and holding her hands on her hips. 

 

“You don’t need-” Caleb began, but Nott leapt forwards, pressing a hand over his mouth. Caleb’s words cut off suddenly, his eyes widening. 

 

“Uh, let me finish. You know I love you, and the others love you too. We don’t have to, but we do, and you can’t stop us from doing it. You’re one of us, we’ll always take care of you, and you take care of us.” 

 

“I don’t-” Caleb began, before cutting himself off, conflict playing out plainly on his face. 

 

“Caleb, you can’t tell me you don’t care about these people. As  _ friends _ . Not workmates or associates or valued allies, but friends.” She finished with a sigh, resting a hand on Caleb’s knee. “Because I know everyone else thinks of you as a friend, and you’re never going to be able to stop us.” 

 

Did that sound vaguely threatening? Maybe. Nott was pretty sure half of what she said came off as vaguely threatening.  

 

Caleb stared down at her, his eyes still wide. Then he leaned back, his head vanishing from her field of vision. Nott climbed back up onto the bed, this time gently nudging Caleb’s momentarily forgotten books and bag out of the way, shuffling up next to Caleb and feeling slightly guilty. 

 

“I don’t want…” Caleb’s voice wavered, and Nott deflated against him. She had no idea where this conversation had gone. The last thing she wanted to do was make Caleb more upset.

 

“I’m sorry. I know you…” She made a vague gesture with her hand, unsure how to explain what little she knew of Caleb’s attachment to  _ not  _ making attachments with people. “You’re not a fan of friendships and everything… I don’t want you to feel pressured or upset but… you’re one of us, Caleb. You’re part of the Mighty Nein. Without you, we’d be the Mighty Eight.”

 

Caleb snorted, seemingly before he could stop himself. “You  _ know  _ that is not what the name means.”

 

“Yeah, but there’s nine of us now so it works! Well, ten, including Cali.” Nott frowned, trying to remember who was part of the Mighty Nein and who wasn’t. “I think she’s like more of an honorary membe-whatever! The point is, without you we wouldn’t be the same fucked up group of people that we are. And I say fucked up because we’re  _ all  _ fucked up.”

 

“Shakäste isn’t fucked up.” Caleb pointed out, and dammit he had a point. “Caduceus and Jester are alright too.”

 

“Hey, Caduceus makes dead people tea and Jester’s maybe dad is a crime boss. Even without them, there’s still a very clear majority of fucked-upness.” Nott said, frowning. “And Shakäste’s probably a spy or something. There’s  _ no way  _ he’s actually blind.” 

 

“I’m fairly certain he is.” Caleb deadpanned.

 

“Nah, he’s not.” Nott said, before suddenly remembering she was trying to give a pep talk. “ _ Anyway,  _ my point is that you’re one of us. You’ve always been one of us. That means accepting that we’re all going to be your fucked up friends for life. You don’t have to say it out loud, but they are.”

 

Wow, she was fucking  _ amazing  _ at giving encouraging speeches. She should do this more often.

 

Caleb looked down at her with an incredulous look on his face, his mouth twitching like it was trying to smile but he wasn’t quite letting it. Nott wrapped her arms around his torso, just getting her hands together around the coat and the books inside and holding on tight. 

 

“Oh Nott, you are too good for me.” Caleb said, sounding exhausted. 

 

“Did you miss the part where I said we’re all fucked up?” Nott said, holding back a laugh. “We met in a jail cell. Neither of us are good, but we can try and be better.”

 

“And I suppose our… friends are the way to do it.” Caleb’s voice wavered on the word ‘friends’, his body stiffening up for just a moment, Nott feeling his chest seem to seize, almost feeling his heart stop beating for a split second, even though that was a bit silly. 

 

She smiled, hugging him even tighter. That’s her boy. “Well, they certainly can’t hurt.” 

 

It wasn’t much, but she hoped he felt a bit better now. Or at least was convinced the universe wouldn’t immediately strike him down for daring to have people he cared about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nott, beating Caleb over the head with her affection: You! Have! Friends! Accept! Our! Love! 
> 
> anyway yea caleb ain't totally over it (give him a few more years and he might be nearly there), but he's getting there. Slowly. Ever so slowly. But Nott and Caleb's relationship makes me cry.
> 
> Also! I'd just like to point out that like, last week, there was a talk about different types of murder, so I'd like to point out that uh, I called it.


	26. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an exiled Fjord looks for his own conversation.

Fjord sighed when he left his and Caleb’s room, making sure the door was closed behind him when he did. Probably best to give those two some time alone, just in case. They all knew perfectly well that Nott and Caleb cared about each other very deeply, so if anyone was going to be torn up over the events of today, it would be Caleb. 

 

Still, it left him more or less exiled from his room for at least twenty minutes, at which point it would probably be safe to return. He glanced to his left, to where Molly and Shakäste’s room was, with Yasha and Caduceus’ further down, and then Cali’s room beyond that. Then he glanced to his right, where Jester and Beau’s room was. 

 

He supposed it didn’t really matter where he went, since he probably wouldn’t stay for long. Making a snap decision, he turned to the right, knocking lightly on Jester and Beau’s door and hoping they weren’t already asleep. But Jester tended to stay up late drawing and talking to the Traveller, so they probably weren’t.

 

“Fjord!” Jester opened the door, smiling wide when she saw him and quickly ushering him inside by grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him in. “Sneaking into a ladies room at night, how scandalous!”

 

“Ah, no.” Fjord said, feeling his cheeks flush. Godsdammit she was flirtatious, and he couldn’t even be mad at her. “You let me in.” 

 

Jester waved a hand flippantly, letting go of his arm and walking back over to what must have been her side of the room, sitting herself down on the bed with a flourish and crawling over to one end of it, where Shakäste of all people was sitting on the ground, half of his hair braided up in neat little chunks. Cali was also there, sitting next to Jester with Nugget in her arms and petting the blink dog’s fur with a content smile on her face. 

 

Beau was lying face down on her bed by herself, her arms and legs stretched out and her chest rising and falling steadily.

 

“Is she asleep?” Fjord asked, pointing in the monk’s direction with one eyebrow raised. 

 

“No, she’s just really tired and sore and we’re all out of spells.” Jester said. “So she’s all grumpy.”

 

From the other side of the room came a very muffled groan, followed by what may have been a ‘Fuck you, Jester’ if it hadn’t been mumbled directly into a pillow. Jester just kept smiling, going back to braiding Shakäste’s hair without missing a beat. 

 

“We’re talking about shopping.” Shakäste said languidly, stroking Stacy’s head with a finger while she perched on top of his other hand. 

 

“Oh?” Fjord stepped properly into the room, closing the door behind him and trying to pick out a good spot to sit on. Eventually he settled on the floor, on the wall opposite Jester’s bed, which left him seated in front of Shakäste, the two men facing each other with Jester on the bed behind Shakäste, and Cali sitting on the side edge with Nugget. Sprinkle was curled up on Jester’s pillow trying and probably failing to get some sleep, while Professor Thaddeus was nowhere in sight, probably sleeping on the cart. Smart bird.

 

“Yes. Cali’s suggested we go shopping tomorrow.” Shakäste said, pointing behind him in Cali’s direction. 

 

“I think it might be a good idea too. You know, it’s been a while.” Jester said, the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she wrestled with a particularly irritating knot in Shakäste’s hair. “Do you ever brush this?”

 

Shakäste did not answer the question, his face completely impassive. “I think shopping is a great idea, Calianna.”

 

“It’s not just that.” Cali said, looking up towards Fjord with a sheepish expression. “I just still feel so bad about today.” 

 

“Today? That wasn’t your fault, Cali.” Fjord said, feeling a sting in his chest as he said it. 

 

“I still feel responsible. If you hadn’t followed me, none of you would have gotten hurt.” Cali said, sighing in a way that suggested she’d been told this before. “So I want to make it up to you, by buying you breakfast or something.” 

 

“You really don’t have to do that, Cali.” Fjord said, but Cali just shook her head.

 

“Yes, I do.” She said firmly.

 

“Hey Fjord, don’t mess with the free food.” Beau grumbled from her bed.

 

“We already tried to tell her she doesn’t have to buy us stuff, but she insists.” Jester said. “Even though it’s  _ definitely not her fault. _ ”

 

“I still feel bad, though!” Cali said, sighing deeply. “And I have some money to spare, so I can do it.”

 

“I think it’s very kind of her.” Shakäste said. “So we were suggesting possible things to get.”

 

“Something cheap, so she doesn’t have to spend much.” Jester said, looking rather serious. 

 

“Well, none of us have been here, so who knows where we’d be able to find something cheap.” Fjord said. He definitely didn’t think Cali was in any way obligated to do anything - they’d volunteered themselves to come along, after all - but if she insisted, there probably wasn’t a lot to do about it. If it made her feel better, perhaps it wasn’t so bad. 

 

“We can go have a look around tomorrow.” Shakäste said, his calm and even voice making everything he said sound like a great idea. “I think everyone could benefit from a relaxing morning.” 

 

Fjord couldn’t agree more to that, even if the likelihood of them having a relaxing morning seemed to grow slimmer every day. Still, the discussion of Cali’s atonement kept reminding him of what had happened that day, and he couldn’t stop feeling slightly guilty himself.

 

It wasn’t his fault either, he was sure, but that didn’t really stop it. He still considered himself one of the closest things this group had to a leader, and that meant he had a responsibility to keep everyone safe. A responsibility that he had failed at, again. Nowadays it seemed like the only thing he could do was pick up the pieces and hope everyone else manages to keep moving forward.

 

Thinking of everyone else, he glanced up at the others, hoping to gauge how they were now that the initial shock of… everything had worn off. Cali’s feelings were obvious, but at least she seemed to have figured out a way to deal with them, one that would hopefully be helpful to her. Shakäste seemed fine - then again, he always seemed fine - and Beau was too tired for him to really get a good read on, since exhaustion and lingering injuries just made her grumpier than usual. 

 

Jester though… he had to admit, he was slightly worried about Jester. She’d had a tendency to hide her feelings, and he had a feeling she was doing it here too. 

 

“What about you two?” He asked, nodding at both Jester and Shakäste, in the hopes of not making it seem like he was directing anything at Jester in particular. “How are you holding up?”

 

“I’m okay.” Jester said simply, sounding shockingly genuine. Fjord tried to conceal the surprise on his face, but based on the raised eyebrows from both clerics in the room, he probably failed. 

 

“I am!” Jester said, a hint of pride edging into her voice. “I did it! I brought Nott back to life, and I did it super well, I think.” 

 

“Oh. So you’re alright then?” Fjord said, feeling a bit foolish now. “I thought maybe…”

 

“I was able to do it, I helped her. This time I was there and I was able to be a really good cleric and bring her back to life and everyone’s okay now.” Jester stopped braiding hair for a moment, putting a hand over her chest and flashing him a quick half-smile. 

 

Fjord’s brain caught on the words ‘this time’. This time, Jester was able to save Nott. This time, she was able to do it. This time, she was there. Because last time had been Molly. And neither Fjord nor Jester had been there to do anything about Molly. But this time, Jester could, and she did. Perhaps that made all the difference. If Cali was seeking atonement, perhaps Jester had already found her redemption. 

 

“Well, that’s great.” He said, and he meant it. If Jester was satisfied with what she had done, then what else could they really ask from her? 

 

“She did very well during the ritual. The Traveller taught you well.” Shakäste said lightly, closing his eyes. 

 

Jester beamed at the praise. “Of course he did! He made sure everything went perfectly.” 

 

Fjord nodded absentmindedly, still feeling a little uneasy but not sure where to direct his concern now. His memory of the minutes after Nott’s death were mostly filled with anger, guilt, and stabbing a body as many times as he could while trying not to cut Beau’s hands off, since she was simultaneously attempting to see if she could punch a hole through a dead body at the same time. He’d actually missed a lot of the resurrection ritual itself, only stumbling back to it once some of the others (Caleb or Cali or both) had burnt the corpse to dust. 

 

Dimly, Fjord realised that his clothes were still very bloodstained. A lot of them were, actually. Perhaps that was why a lot of the bars patrons had been looking at them funny while they’d been eating.

 

“How about you, Fjord? Are you okay?” Jester looked up from a braiding, her cheeks a little flushed from dealing with Shakäste’s hair. But her eyes were sparkling and sincere. 

 

“I-” Fjord was all ready to reassure her that he was perfectly fine, but his conversation with Molly from so long ago rang in his head. Try not to suffer alone, he’d said. 

 

“I’m not sure.” He said honestly. His brain snapped back and forth between insisting that all of this was his fault for not being a better leader, and that it wasn’t his fault because he couldn’t control everything. It was the same war that had plagued him after Molly’s death, and now it had returned with a vengeance, and he wasn’t sure which side was winning. 

 

He sighed, resting his head against the wall behind him and pinching the bridge of his nose. He’d intended to make sure Jester and the others were handling themselves, not start talking about his feelings. 

 

“I… suppose I feel responsible for things.” He said, feeling a bit stupid for just saying it out loud. “But I don’t think buying you all things will make me feel better.”

 

“Everyone handles things differently.” Shakäste said cryptically. 

 

Fjord’s face tightened, unused to really discussing his feelings in depth or for very long. Or with so many other people around. Especially when he still wasn’t sure what his feelings actually  _ were _ . Still, Moly had suggested he try, so… he’d try.

 

“It sounds dumb, but I feel like I could have prevented it if I’d paid more attention.” Fjord said, almost forcing the words out through gritted teeth. 

 

“You’re right, that is dumb.” Jester said in a sing-song voice, pulling on some of Shakäste’s hair so hard the man actually flinched. Fjord had thought Shakäste flinching was actually impossible, but apparently not. “We were all kinda busy trying to not die.” 

 

“Yes, but Nott would have been totally fine if I’d just realised that-” 

 

“Oh my gods Fjord that’s  _ total nonsense _ .” Beau groaned very loudly and rolled over, looking remarkably pissed off. “Nott dying isn’t anyone’s fault but the bitch who killed her, and that’s it. She’s fine now, so everythings good.” 

 

Fjord blinked at Beau, the monk emphasising her statement by pointing firmly at Fjord before promptly rolling over to face the wall and throwing the blankets over her. 

 

“Are  _ you  _ okay, Beau?” Cali asked, sounding a little hesitant. 

 

Fjord heard a long, drawn out sigh from Beau’s bed, some but not all of the tension releasing from her shoulders. 

 

“Yeah. I’m just tired.” She said, turning over once again to face the others, her face soft for a few moments before hardening, her voice turning deadpan. “Mostly because people keep walking in here to talk for an eternity.” 

 

“Well, that’s my cue.” Shakäste said lightly, standing up. “I’d best not intrude any longer. Thank you for the lovely hairstyle, dear.” 

 

He spun around and gave Jester a quick kiss on the hand, Jester’s smile growing wider and wider at it while Cali giggled and Beau rolled her eyes. Cali and Fjord both got to their feet too, sensing that Beau’s patience would only last so much longer.

 

“I’d better get going too. Thanks for letting me hold Nugget, and for talking with me.” Cali said, passing the puppy back to Jester and hugging both of them. “Goodnight Beau!” 

 

“Night Cali.” Was Beau’s reply, since even she couldn’t be mad at Cali for too long. Or at all. 

 

Fjord let both Shakäste and Cali leave first, nodding at each of them as they passed. Shakäste gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, while Cali returned the nod, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned. 

 

“Now, Fjord, you’re not allowed to blame yourself, okay? There’s too many people doing that already.” Jester said solemnly, placing Nugget down on her bed where he could terrorise poor Sprinkle for a few minutes. She stepped forward, folding her arms and looking up at him with all the intimidation she could muster.

 

If Fjord didn’t know that she could literally throw him across the room, he wouldn’t have been intimidated. But she could, and had, so he very much was. 

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He said, smiling lightly and closing his eyes, the tiredness starting to hit him too. Jester didn’t seem convinced, tilting her head slightly and narrowing her eyes up at him.

 

“Okay. That’s a promise.” She said, before looping her arms around him and hugging him gently. After a moment Fjord placed his arms around her too, painfully aware of where his hands went, resting them against the small of her back and lightly returning the hug. Over Jester’s shoulder he saw Beau watching them hug with a half irritated, half amused expression on her face. She locked eyes with Fjord and waggled her eyebrows suggestively, snorting when Fjord’s cheeks flushed and his shoulders stiffened. 

 

Thankfully, Jester didn’t seem to notice, releasing him from the hug and patting his cheek a couple times just for good measure. “Now go to bed! We need to have lots of time to decide what shopping we’re going to do tomorrow.” 

 

She promptly spun him around and marched him out of the room, a shocking shift from the tenderness of just a few moments earlier. Fjord heard Beau’s snorts shift into undisguised snickering as the door shut behind him, and he was once again exiled in the corridor. 

 

Sighing - it sure felt like he did a lot of that now that he was with the Mighty Nein - Fjord trudged back to his and Caleb’s room, knocking once to make sure Caleb and Nott (if she were still in there) knew he was coming back in. 

 

Inside, Nott was indeed still there, lying back down on the end of Caleb’s bed with her eyes closed. Caleb was packing up his books and slipping off his coat, seemingly preparing to go to bed. 

 

“Ah, Fjord, good timing.” Caleb said, looking upwards as he walked in. His voice was quiet, but it was hard to tell whether it was for any emotional reason or just because he was tired. He wasn’t in the mood for another conversation to find out. 

 

“Seems so. You staying here tonight, Nott?” Fjord asked, settling down on his bed with a huff and taking off most of his gear. He already knew the answer, but it was nice to ask anyway, just to be polite. 

 

“Yup.” Was Nott’s simple answer, not even cracking her eyes open. “Hi Fjord.”

 

Nodding, Fjord piled up his gear on the floor just next to his bed, slipping off the rest of his clothes as well until he was in nothing but pants. They only got to sleep in proper rooms and beds every so often, so he liked to take advantage of it when they did. 

 

Caleb preferred to sleep in all of his clothes minus his coat and scarf, which probably made up half his body weight anyway, while Nott didn’t take a single thing off, burrowing under the blankets and becoming nothing more than a lump at the end of the bed. 

 

Fjord couldn’t help but glance at the two of them as they went through their own nightly routines, Caleb setting up his alarm spell that was now only reserved for nights they spent in inns and houses. All three of them settled underneath their blankets, Caleb blowing out the single candle that lit up their room once he’d finished running his silver thread around the room. 

 

“Goodnight Caleb, Nott.” Fjord said after a few minutes of nothing but rustling, breathing and yawns. 

 

“Night Fjord.” Nott’s voice was slightly muffled underneath the blanket, tinged with exhaustion but still so alive. Fjord was so glad she was alive. 

 

“ _ Gute nacht _ .” Caleb said after a few more moments, his voice quieter than Nott’s despite not being buried under a blanket. Fjord knew precious few words in Zemnian but understood well enough, mumbling a final acknowledgement before hunkering down properly, closing his eyes and trying to sleep. 

 

It was strange, but as a whole… nearly everyone seemed a bit calmer than they had after Molly’s death. It may have been because Nott’s death hadn’t also involved half of them getting kidnapped and nearly put into slavery, or maybe it was just because Nott had been resurrected so quickly. Maybe it was simply because it wasn’t the first time it had happened. That now, death was just a possible consequence of their regular hijinks and misadventures. 

 

He hoped that last reason wasn’t the case. Besides, while as a whole they all seemed to handle things better, he still just felt worse for reasons that were difficult to articulate within his own head, much less in words, and it almost felt like he was the only one. Of course, just about everyone else was just as capable of hiding their own feelings as him, if not more so. 

 

Fjord felt himself grimace, trying to push away all of the thoughts and reminders of the day’s events. Right now, he just wanted to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i luv u Cali. 
> 
> Also i'm 95% sure this chapter will get us past the wordcount of Nothing But A Note! Yay Milestones!!!! And only 26 chapters vs Note's 25. That's some pretty consistent wordcounts if i do say so myself (which I do). 
> 
> Anyway, so now we've more or less seen how everyone feels about The Nott Incident. Or at least what everyone is willing to show about how they feel. :)


	27. Extortion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly gets some ribbons.

The next morning, the Mighty Nein slowly meandered down to the bar for breakfast, only to discover that Jester wasn’t allowing any of them to buy breakfast, because Cali insisted on finding them the best inn or shop to have breakfast at so that she could treat them in penance for being the reason any of them had been in the abandoned temple to begin with.

 

Most of them were quick to reassure Cali that the way things had gone down hadn’t been her fault - none of them being unable to figure out the particular event that Cali felt so guilty for - but Cali had made up her mind and they weren’t about to turn down technically free food, so off they went. 

 

They spent a good thirty minutes wandering around Solanarose before Nott became interested in one particular shop that was a butchery and bakery combined. So that was where they went, half of them mostly curious to see how such a shop worked in the first place and the rest too hungry to care by that point. 

 

After they bought out half the bakery side of the shop (mostly thanks to Jester, who did pay for everything she ordered herself since there was so much of it), Cali wasn’t finished, dragging them to the most touristy part of Solanarose they could find and proceeding to buy all of them as many trinkets and doodads as she could find within five minutes. Caleb and Jester both got tiny new notebooks and quills, Beau got a bag of marbles, Caduceus and Shakäste both got matching large, brown hats that drooped like weights were hanging off them, Fjord was gifted a woollen scarf, Yasha a bouquet of mismatched and half dead flowers, and Molly a handful of multi-coloured ribbons. 

 

These gifts were all nice and thoughtful, but none of them compared to the absolute showering that Nott got. Apparently Jester had advised Cali that Nott liked shiny things and small objects, and she spent who knows how much coin going to every shop and seller she could find, buying cheap rings, shiny rocks, buttons and anything else she could find, putting it all in the leather bag and presenting it to Nott alongside another apology for leading her into a situation that got her killed. 

 

Nott was absolutely thrilled, and spent a few minutes picking through the bag before choosing one dark green button and giving it back to Cali, as a small thanks for spending so much of her money. 

 

“Wow. When Cali buys gifts she goes hardcore.” Molly said, watching Nott hand over the button like a king handing over his crown jewels, Cali kneeling on the ground to match heights with the goblin. Molly was standing with the rest of the Mighty Nein slightly to the side of the display, with varying degrees of interest beyond their own gifts.

 

Molly himself had already gotten Yasha and Jester to tie half of his ribbons through his hair and around his horns and tail, putting the other half in one of his pockets for safekeeping. 

 

“We should let her lead us into danger all the time.” Jester said, grinning and nudging both Caleb and Beau on either side of her with her elbow. 

 

“We are not going to extort Cali.” Fjord said blandly, wearing his new scarf around his neck and actually looking quite pleased with it. 

 

“It’s not extortion if she’s the one who decides to do it.” Jester said, poking her tongue out playfully. 

 

“It is extortion if she’s too sweet to say no.” Molly said, matching Jester’s grin. While free stuff was very fun, guilt presents wasn’t  _ quite  _ as fun. 

 

Cali and Nott concluded their presentation, both of them beaming widely and looking very satisfied. 

 

“Well, now that that’s out of the way, what next?” Molly asked, clapping his hands together. 

 

Everyone glanced at one another, exchanging loose shrugs. 

 

“Are we still heading to Port Damali?” Beau asked, getting more noncommittal murmurs of uncertainty. 

 

“Well, I think I’ll be staying here in Solanarose for a while.” Cali said, looking apologetic despite having no real reason to. “I want to make sure there isn’t anyone else connected to the cult around here, just in case.”

 

“Awww, we barely got to hang out!” Jester said, pouting and folding her arms to accentuate her point. 

 

“You spent half this morning shoving pastries in each others faces.” Caleb said, one eyebrow raised. 

 

“You spent the trip from Smoky Bay to here teaching each other songs in different languages. Loudly.” Fjord grimaced. 

 

“They were very nice songs.” Cali nodded very carefully, before giving Jester a tight hug and smiling brightly. “But you guys have your pirates to go find! We’ll meet up again someday, and you can send me messages at night if you have the spells to spare! I think they’re more reliable than letters anyway.”

 

Molly thought distantly of all of the messages Jester had ever sent while in his presence, trying to think of one in which the entire message she intended to convey was actually sent. Eh, they’d probably find a way to make it work. 

 

“What is the next stop to Port Damali, by the way?” Caduceus asked, his floppy hat adding to his peaceful, demure look quite nicely. 

 

Fjord scratched the back of his neck, thinking hard for a second. “It’s the Triad, but they’re like… three city-states in one. Trifolia Cove, the Hepatica Islands, and Rivulari. I think Trifolia Cove is the one closest to here.” 

 

“Three in one? How does that work?” Molly asked, tilting his head and imagining one giant city split up evenly into three parts.

 

“Well, they’re just three separate city-states, or group of islands in the Hepatica’s case, but they’re really close by each other, so they work together a lot. Eventually they decided to join come together and form a joint government, while still being independent of each other. It’s a bit complicated, but they make it work.” Fjord said, waving a hand loosely. 

 

Molly nodded his head, still not quite getting it but figuring it didn’t matter. Three states in one. That could mean a fun time, or it could mean doing thrice the running away if they accidentally/on purpose do something illegal in one of them. They’d sort out which one it was once they got there. 

 

“Oooh, my mama said the Hepatica Islands have  _ great  _ fish!” Jester said, suddenly looking very excited. 

 

“Do we have to go to islands? Cause that sounds like we’d need  _ boats,  _ and boats means going over  _ water _ .” Nott said, grimacing and closing up her leather bag full of trinkets, tucking it away somewhere within her cloak. 

 

“I don’t think we’d need to go through islands to get to Port Damali.” Caduceus said, looking to Fjord and receiving a nod of confirmation. “No water travel required.”

 

“Good.” Nott huffed, nodding her head firmly. 

 

“I wouldn’t mind going on a boat someday.” Molly said brightly, ignoring Nott’s look of horror and betrayal. Going on a cart that can go on water? That sounded fucking  _ awesome _ . 

 

“They’re pretty awesome.” Fjord said, smiling, before glancing at Nott. “But no, we don’t need to go through the Hepatica Islands to get to Port Damali. We can just go right through Trifolia and Rivulari. Then it’s only a couple days trip til Port Damali.”

 

“Wait, we’re nearly there?” Molly asked. 

 

“I don’t know if I’d call a week or two’s trip  _ nearly  _ there…” Fjord made a vague gesture with his hand. “But I guess… yes?” 

 

“Then we get to chase down pirates!” Jester said, cheering loudly.

 

“That sounds really fun and also dangerous!” Cali said, smiling brightly despite a flash of worry in her eyes. “Please be careful if you fight pirates.”

 

“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll keep them in line.” Shakäste said solemnly. “Still, if we’re leaving today we’d best get on the road.” 

 

“It is getting close to midday.” Caleb said, pointing up at the sun above them. “Goodbye, Calianna.”

 

“Awww, okay, goodbye!” Cali quickly hugged everyone just like she had when she met up with them in Smoky Bay. Caleb and Yasha both got very quick hugs while nearly everyone else had at least five seconds of solid Cali affection, with Jester and Nott in particular having to almost be pried from the girl so that they could leave. 

 

She apologised for the temple debacle once again before waving goodbye and walking into the streets of Solanarose. The rest of the Mighty Nein, once again down to the healthy and thematically appropriate nine members, headed back to the stable to collect their cart, horses, and Professor Thaddeus, who had very much enjoyed his peace and quiet, hidden away within the safety of the illusioned cart. 

 

“So, do we need to do disguises?” Nott asked as they saddled up all of the horses, debating who would ride first and who would sit in the cart. 

 

“I don’t think the Solanarosan government is after us.” Molly said, shrugging. It was so hard to tell which cities and towns they were technically fugitives in, and which ones they were just simple criminals in. 

 

“We did fuck up one of their old fancy abandoned temples.” Jester pointed out. “Aren’t they super big on their fancy temples?” 

 

“Yeah, but they don’t know it was  _ us _ .” Beau said, perched on the back of the cart with Professor Thaddeus on one arm and feeding the owl a rat with the other. 

 

“I think we’ll be alright without disguises. But when we get to the walls, Nott might wanna duck into the cart anyway to be safe.” Fjord said, climbing up onto a horse without question. 

 

“Yeah, no worries. I can sort through all my new stuff properly.” Nott said, a grin stretching across her face as she nimbly pulled herself into the cart and ducked into the illusion, disappearing from view. 

 

Eventually Caleb, Shakäste and Jester joined Nott in the cart for the first leg of the journey, which got them through the Solanarosan walls safely and uneventfully. The sky was almost completely clear of clouds, allowing the sun’s rays to beat down on them, with regular cool breezes their only relief from the heat. To Molly it was nearly perfect, the horses kicking up dust with every step, a calm rhythm that was all too familiar by now. 

 

Everyone was definitely less tense then they had been yesterday, and Molly felt better too. Talking to  _ someone  _ about Sly had done wonders for his nerves, the knowledge that there was someone else he trusted that knew (well, two someones, really) a comforting safety net in the back of his mind. The others were in the general high spirits too, Cali’s morning of showering them with gifts and free food having done a lot more good than just easing her conscience. 

 

It was nice, and even despite the niggling feeling the back of his head that it was  _ too  _ nice wasn’t enough to stop him from enjoying it. Things certainly weren’t perfect yet. They were happy, but still subdued, everyone still carefully avoiding talking about the temple and cultists too deeply. 

 

But they could still laugh and smile and bicker amongst each other like usual as they travelled, trying to find out new and exciting ways to amuse themselves on the road, so for now that would have to be enough. It might be too good to be true, but he could enjoy it while it lasted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have i mentioned i love Cali yet?


	28. Blind People Aren't Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nott has conspiracy theories.

The path to Trifolia Cove once again left them close to the oceanside. But rather than cliffs and majestic views sweeping over the horizon, the altitude slowly got lower, the steep rocks giving way to sandy paths and beaches so close they could walk a few steps to the left and be upon them, the view hidden from them by lines of trees and plants. 

 

Their first night on the road again was calm and peaceful, everyone huddled as close as they cared for underneath Caleb’s hut spell, perhaps a little closer than they had been before they’d arrived at Solanarose. If they were, no one said anything. The second day they found themselves running into quite a few other travellers, most of them in duos or small groups of three or four, many of them proud and eager to talk for an eternity about wherever they were headed next if given half the chance.

 

According to Fjord, this was quite common around Port Damali and the Triad. Both of them were some of the richest city-states on the entire coast (though Nicodranas came close), and had some of the greatest access to ships and supplies for any budding travellers, as well as being a good nexus point for anyone wishing to head to Tal’Dorei. 

 

Molly found it very exciting. Perhaps Cadmus and whoever else they were looking for had gone to Tal’Dorei, and they’d just have to follow them! He wouldn’t mind visiting a continent where they had cities built inside of mountains, and who knew what other amazing things they had. 

 

Their second night was just as uneventful as the first, and their final day on the road was largely spent looking out for signs of Trifolia Cove as they ventured forward.

 

“Do ya see anything yet?” Nott asked, perched on the outside of the cart for once next to Molly, who had been temporarily assigned the role of making sure the horses attached to the cart didn’t go off the trail. 

 

“Nope!” Jester said cheerfully, having climbed onto Yasha’s shoulders, both of whom were standing in the cart. Thanks to the illusion, they could only see Yasha’s head out of the illusion, with Jester standing on her shoulders and swaying dangerously with every step. But Yasha held tight onto the tieflings ankles, and through some miracle of the gods (or perhaps magic), Jester didn’t fall. 

 

“Please get down.” Fjord deadpanned, having been trying and failing to convince Jester to not risk breaking multiple bones for the past ten minutes or so. 

 

Personally, Molly thought it would have made much more sense to have Nott climb on Yasha’s shoulders, but apparently the pair of them wanted what little extra height Jester gave them, which would help them see Trifolia Cove sooner. Hey, whatever made them happy. 

 

Not that any of it really mattered, since they were travelling through a thicket of trees anyway, obscuring their view no matter how tall they were. Molly doubted they’d break the trees canopy even if Caduceus had been standing on top of Yasha. Not even if Caleb enlarged him to twice his regular height. 

 

Still, Molly continued on, blissfully ignoring the flagrant disregard of safety and common sense behind him. He was just lucky the horses knew what they were doing more than him, sticking to the path and not being difficult. 

 

He was so focused on making sure things stayed that way, he barely noticed as they left the forest, the path once again travelling parallel to the coast with the only trees being on their left. 

 

He did notice Jester shouting in delight, proudly letting all of them know that she could see the tips of the walls of Trifolia Cove. Why did all the city-states have walls? Perhaps they’d done lots of fighting many years ago. Molly certainly wouldn’t have a clue if they had. 

 

Their goal complete, Jester climbed down from Yasha’s shoulders - Molly had no idea how they’d gotten her to agree to that. 

 

“You really don’t need to do that again.” Fjord said, pointing forwards. “We can all see the walls.”

 

It was true. Only a few seconds after Jester had pointed them out, the walls of Trifolia Cover were in plain sight for everyone to see, not that Jester or Nott seemed bothered. 

 

“Yeah- but I- saw them-  _ first _ .” Jester said, jumping up and down on the cart so her head popped up out of the illusion for the pure purpose of winking at Fjord. She let out a yelp and stumbled into the illusion, releasing a muffled thud when she hit the wooden floor of the cart. “I’m okay!”

 

Snickering, Molly looked up as the city-state’s walls came into full view. Unlike the aging, crumbling mess of a walls Solanarose had, Trifolia Cove’s walls were tall and unforgiving, so white the sun seemed to reflect off of them, making it difficult to see without squinting. He could see the tiny helmets of soldiers patrolling along the tops of the walls, which spread out a fair ways into the ocean, and far back inland. 

 

“Huh, well that’s impressive.” He mused. 

 

“Ugh, it’s so bright I think I’m gonna go  _ blind _ .” Nott was still seated next to him, seemingly deciding to get as much of a view of the city-state as they approached it as she could. 

 

“The clerics could probably heal that for you.” Molly said.

 

“But Shakäste’s blind probably, if he could heal blindness wouldn’t he heal himself?” Nott narrowed her eyes, looking quickly over her shoulder where Shakäste was holding up the back of the group alongside Caleb. 

 

“Uhhh…” Molly thought for a moment. He’d been imagining cleric’s healing abilities as almost infinite, like there was nothing they couldn’t fix if they got there fast enough. “Maybe he just likes the mystery about it.”

 

“Or maybe he’s faking.” Nott whispered. “He’s too good to be actually blind!”

 

Molly was sure Shakäste would be offended if he heard this, if not for the fact that Nott had a conspiracy theory for just about every member of the Mighty Nein (except Jester and Caleb, both of whom Nott seemed to consider above suspicion) and all of them were just ridiculous enough to be funny. 

 

“Maybe he is.” Molly said, grinning. If he didn’t know better, he’d probably think Shakäste were faking it too. But he wasn’t. Probably. 

 

Nott continued to mutter about how ‘blind people aren’t  _ real _ ’ for another few minutes as they continued to approach the city-state. Molly listened to her increasingly outlandish theories as to how all blind people could potentially be faking it in order to spy for an unknown entity, before the goblin fell quiet, appearing to be deep in thought until she spoke, quiet enough that only Molly could hear her. 

 

“Do you remember dying?” She asked. Molly’s hands holding the reins jolted, the horses whinnying in displeasure but smart enough not to go off the trail. 

 

Well that was a question. Flashes of a glaive rushing towards him flickered in his mind. He hadn’t really ever wanted to talk about the moments of his death with anyone else - having talked/shouted about it vaguely to Shakäste was enough. But now was different. 

 

“I remember everything up until the actual… death part.” He admitted, keeping his voice low and keeping an eye on everyone else. 

 

“I don’t remember it at all.” Nott said. “I didn’t even see it coming.”

 

“You were facing away from the lightning bolt.” Molly said, feeling a bit uneasy. “I… faced mine head on.”

 

“Okay. That makes sense.” Nott said, her hands twitching and diving into her cloak, pulling out a small blue button after a few moments and turning it over in her hands seemingly to give her fingers something to do. 

 

Molly sat there for a few moments, keeping an eye on the path ahead of them. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“I don’t know. I’ve never died before, I don’t know how it works. I figured you were an expert.” Nott grumbled.

 

“An expert?” Molly snorted. “I suppose I could be an expert on dying. But I think my deaths were different to yours. You still remember everything from before you died, don’t you?” 

 

Nott nodded, her eyebrows pinched together and her ears pinned back against the side of her head. “Yeah. But like, is that normal? Are you supposed to forget your whole life after you come back from the dead?” 

 

“That would be a question for the clerics.” Molly said, gesturing vaguely behind him. “But I don’t think so. I’m just that special.”

 

Now Nott began to snicker, a very slight smile spreading across her face. “I think we’re both special. Lots of people don’t get to come back from the dead.”

 

“Truly, we are just that incredible. Oh, you fought a dragon? We survived  _ death _ .” Molly said, putting on an exaggerated voice. “Not unconsciousness, we straight up  _ died _ . Me and the Raven Queen? We’re basically best friends.”

 

Nott’s snickering morphed into chuckles and nearly laughter, which Molly considered a success. 

 

“You know, it’s nice to joke about it. It feels morbid, but it’s nice.” Molly said. “Everyone was so… weird about it when I came back I didn’t want to upset anyone.” 

 

“Yeah, it was kinda uncomfortable.” Nott admitted, shrugging her shoulders and tucking her button back into her cloak. “But I get it now. If I don’t talk to  _ someone  _ about it, I think I’ll go crazy.”

 

“And there’s only so many emotional conversations about death one can handle.” Molly continued the thought, sighing. “Jokes are far more fun.” 

 

“Yeah, but I think it’ll still freak everyone else out.” Nott mused aloud. “I don’t like seeing everyone else upset about it.”

 

“Me neither.” Molly said. “Though I’m surprised at how well you’re handling this.”

 

Nott shrugged, scratching at her arms. “I don’t remember anything and apparently I was only dead for like, a couple minutes. It feels a bit freaky but... I dunno, it’s just a thing that happened.“ She held her hands up in defeat, but Molly got what she meant anyway. “Why, how did you react?”

 

Molly grimaced for a moment, remembering all of the wonderful days after his resurrection. Sure, a lot of fun things had happened, but also a lot of not so fun things that had been a direct result of him trying and failing to handle his own death and subsequent lack of memories in a healthy way. 

 

“I… reacted.” He finally said. “In a way…”

 

“Wow, that’s super informative.” Nott snarked, but she didn’t seem inclined to dig any deeper. 

 

“I’m alright now, don’t you worry. Shakäste could be a therapist if he wanted to.” Molly said reassuringly. 

 

“I believe you.” Nott said, looking around at the trees to their left, hints of a beach and the ocean through the branches. 

 

Molly nodded. He’d been almost unsure of how to approach Nott, now that both of them had been involuntarily placed in the illustrious ‘I died’ club. But now it seemed almost easier to talk to her. He’d always found her amusing at the very least and a dedicated friend beyond that, but perhaps being in the ‘I died’ club with someone else was better than being in it alone. Perhaps it was a bit selfish, but it was true. 

 

“I’m sorry you died, you know.” He said. “I was hoping to stay the only zombie in this group.” 

 

“Trust me, I would have loved to let you stay the only zombie.” Nott said, before a horrified look dawned on her face. “Oh my  _ fuck  _ I’m a zombie.” 

 

Snorting out a laugh, Molly glanced ahead to allow Nott time to swallow this terrible revelation as they got ever closer to Trifolia Cove. Most of the city-states had smaller towns and villages surrounding it, almost hanging on to the city-states without technically being a part of them. Trifolia Cove was no different, as the group began to pass houses and shops, many of them relatively brand new looking.

 

Molly liked looking around as they passed through villages, taking in the sights and making notes of anything particularly interesting. This small outskirt village didn’t seem to have much, though as they got closer to the city-state walls, bricks still blindly bright and banners hanging from the top proudly displaying the sigils of Trifolia Cove and the Triad, some of the buildings got more elaborate.

 

The oldest-looking one he could spy seemed to be a temple of some kind - however, it was very obviously not abandoned, and clearly kept in top condition. There was a vaguely familiar large symbol etched into the stone on the top, depicting a woman in side profile, her hair decorated with what seemed like hundreds of intricate chains, flowers and jewelry pieces. 

 

Next to the temple was what seemed like a stable, a young woman with golden brown hair tending to numerous horses and at the sight of it Molly perked up. 

 

“Hey, Fjord! There’s a stable out here!” He called out behind him. Fjord soon rode up, looking in the direction that Molly pointed out. 

 

“Oh, that’s a temple to Avandra.” He said. “I think I passed by that on my way out from Port Damali. They’re pretty welcoming to adventurers.” 

 

“Who’s Avandra?” Molly asked. There were far too many gods and to keep track of, so he tended to only bother with the important ones. The Moonweaver, the Raven Queen, the Stormlord, the Traveller… whichever one Caduceus worshipped…

 

“The Changebringer. The Schuster’s worship her, I’m pretty sure.” Fjord said, leaning over to direct the cart horses towards the temple. “We could use a break anyway.” 

 

“Oh, she should love us for helping them then! Maybe they’ll let us stay for free.” Nott said, perking up at the prospect of free things. 

 

The cart slowly made it way towards the temple, and they parked it just in front, Fjord, Molly and Nott jumping off to talk to whoever own the temple to see if they were in charge of the stable, and if so, to see if they could board their horses and cart there for a low price. Apparently the Changebringer was the patron deity of travellers and adventurers, so her worshippers were known to be very hospitable towards them. 

 

A young, dark-skinned human man with curly black hair and wearing pale golden robes was sitting near the front of the temple, a book in his hands. He looked to be either in his late teens or very early twenties, looking up from his book as they approached and smiling widely.

 

“Hello travellers! Can I help you today?” He said, standing up and holding his book behind his back. He looked over the three of them, his gaze lingering on Nott (who stuck her tongue out and ducked behind Fjord’s legs) and Molly, who just folded his arms and waited to see if he said anything about it. They weren’t suspicious looks, but ones filled with curiosity, but curiosity could quickly turn to suspicion if they weren’t careful. 

 

“We’ve been travelling from Zadash to Port Damali, and we notice you have a stable, so we were hoping we might be able to board our horses and cart there for a night or so to rest.” Fjord said smoothly, flashing the boy a suave smile.

 

The boy broke his gaze at Molly to look at Fjord, his smile brightening up. “Oh, of course! I’ll go get the high priestess, she’ll book you in, if you don’t mind waiting for just a few seconds.” Then he turned and disappeared into the temple, leaving the three of them waiting outside. 

 

Nott went back to the cart to tell the others what was going on. Soon the boy returned with a tall woman with the same dark skin and curly hair as the boy, though hers was carefully brushed and braided, a golden chain threaded through her hair and decorated with flowers. She wore golden robes that denoted her stature within the temple, but she looked so similar to the boy Molly guessed they were related. 

 

“Welcome, welcome to the temple of the Changebringer, She Who Makes The Path.” The high priestess bowed lightly, seemingly out of a respectful tradition. “My name is High Priestess Zoie, and I would love to assist you with your travels in any way I can.” 

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, High Priestess.” Fjord nodded his head lowly. “We were just hoping to board our horses and cart at your stables for a night or two.”

 

“That won’t be a problem at all. I’ll just have to make a note of how many animals you have, and any unique conditions or requests you may have. Nero, please go find Steph and let her know we have a new arrival.” Zoie said, nodding to the boy who stood by her side. 

 

Molly’s ears pricked up, tilting his head to the side. Fjord gave him a sideways glance, one eyebrow raised at the slightly unusual reaction. But Molly just cleared his throat, catching the high priestess’ attention. 

 

“I’m sorry, did you say Steph?” Molly asked, taking a very short step forward. “As in… Stephano?” 

 

Zoie blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. “Uh, yes. Miss Stephano, she’s been working in our stables for about a month now.” 

 

Well, the timeline worked out. Molly couldn’t help but chuckle. 

 

“You know this- oh…” Fjord’s eyes widened in realisation, finally remembering the story Molly had told at least five times back in Zadash. “She’s one of the ones who… oh….”

 

Zoie looked at them in confusion, before recognition finally dawned. “Oh! Marisol told me about you. This must be the rest of your party! Oh! Oh, please come in! Tell your whole party they’re welcome to stay with us tonight, completely free of charge!”

 

With that, Zoie pivoted on her heel and, seemingly ignoring all sense of decorum, took a few steps into the temple before shouting out ‘ _ MARISOL! _ ’ as loudly as she could. Then she promptly turned around and walked back up to them, taking Molly’s hand and leading him inside. 

 

“I’ll go… tell the others, I guess.” Fjord said in disbelief, turning and jogging towards the cart to reassure everyone Molly wasn’t being kidnapped by a random woman. 

 

Molly allowed himself to be dragged inside the temple, a little shocked himself at their luck. He certainly hadn’t expected to be reunited with these people so quickly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE SUCKERS *distant sobbing*
> 
> She may be dead in real life but she's alive in this universe! Happy and living at a temple and taking care of horses!
> 
> I hadn't originally planned to include these guys, but when I decided to change the story into a roadtrip down the Menagerie Coast, I knew I HAD to, because Steph and Marisol and the others were headed to the Menagerie Coast, so here we are!
> 
> Also Molly nd Nott need t-shirts. 'I died and all I got was emotional trauma and this t-shirt'


	29. Betcha Thought You'd Seen The Last Of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly is a little shit.

In a matter of minutes, Molly found himself bustled towards the back of the temple, beyond where regular worshippers and visitors were usually allowed to go. The rest of the Mighty Nein soon caught up to him, full of curious questions about why and how Molly had secured them a free night at a temple, since apparently Fjord didn’t find the time to explain it. 

 

“Ah, one of the… acolytes? One of the acolytes here is one of the people Shakäste and I rescued from Ransford’s house.” Molly said by way of explanation, as Zoie led them towards some rooms that were reserved for travellers the priests and priestesses deemed to be in need of a place to stay.

 

“My niece, actually.” Zoie said, smiling brightly. “We’re so grateful for your helping her, she told us what happened.” 

 

“I’m glad to see she made it home safe and sound.” Shakäste said, walking alongside Zoie and already seeming at home. “What about the others that decided to travel with her? Have they moved on?”

 

“Steph is here.” Molly said, before looking over his shoulder to the rest of the bewildered Mighty Nein. “She’s one of the ones who kidnapped Shakäste.”

 

“Oooh.” There was general nod of understanding.

 

“Do we need to fight her?” Yasha asked solemnly, and Molly glanced towards Shakäste, who shook his head.

 

“I don’t think fighting her is necessary. She did also help to rescue me.” He said.

 

“Steph’s been very helpful with the horses.” Zoie said. “And her three friends are also staying with us. They all work within Trifolia’s walls, but they will return at nightfall.” 

 

Molly nodded loosely. It was actually a bit exciting to be seeing them all again, as unexpected as it was. They’d parted on good terms, at least, so he wouldn’t have to worry about any more kidnapping. Probably. 

 

“Here, each of these rooms can house four people, so you are free to divide yourselves amongst these two as you wish. Marisol should be here shortly, I’m sure she will love to see you again.” Zoie beamed down at Molly and Shakäste in particular, but she addressed them all, pointing out two doors side by side. 

 

With nothing else to do but wait for Marisol to arrive, they all peeked into the two rooms they had been given. They were different than rooms in most inns, most obviously by the fact that the walls, floors and roof were all smooth, polished stone, a light grey in colour and cool to the touch. Each room was fairly skinny, with two sets of bunk beds that also seemed to be carved out of stone, a darker grey than the walls with golden inlay lining the edges and pale yellow sheets neatly folded. 

 

There was a small chest at the foot of each bunk bed, and an open window stretching from near the top of the walls to halfway off the ground, wooden shutters folded outwards. Light streamed in, making the entire room seem far larger than it actually was, and there was a pleasant smell of roses permeating the room. 

 

“Oh, this is very nice.” Caduceus said, summing it up quite nicely for them all.  

 

“We should rescue people who live in temples more often.” Nott said, walking up to the closest bunk bed and throwing herself onto it. “Holy shit this is  _ soft _ !” 

 

“So what’s this Marisol person like?” Jester asked, walking over to the window and peering out, leaning out so far she appeared in danger of falling. “Ooh, there’s a garden out here!”

 

“We didn’t get to know her very well, I think.” Shakäste said, standing in the doorway while allowing Stacy to fly around the room, chirping excitedly. 

 

“She seemed very sweet. Like Jester, but without the Traveller’s influence.” Molly said, flashing a smile at Jester, who looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him.

 

“I bet I’m cooler than her.” 

 

“Of course.” Molly said, holding his hands up. 

 

“So how will we split up the rooms? I assume Nott will decide where she goes tonight.” Fjord said. 

 

“Girl’s party in this room!” Jester said, jumping into the center of the room and throwing her haversack onto the ground, like that made it official. 

 

“Except Nott’s a drifter, and there’s five guys.” Beau pointed out. 

 

Jester paused for a moment, before amending her statement. “Girls and Caduceus party in this room!” 

 

A quick glance around revealed no objections to this arrangement, and Molly silently said a prayer for Caduceus’ sanity. Yasha was a wonderful roommate, but Jester and Beau (and potentially Nott) were another beast entirely. 

 

“I get top bunk!” Beau called out, jogging into the room and vaulting onto the top bunk of the closest set of beds, nearly kicking Nott in the face as she climbed up without making use of the ladder that was placed there for the express purpose of climbing up. 

 

Jester quickly claimed the other top bunk, leaving Yasha and Caduceus the bottom bunks. Neither of them picked one in particular, simply placing the belongings they’d brought off the cart with them against the wall and agreeing to decide later on. 

 

Meanwhile, the four other boys (and Nott, who tagged along to see if the other room was any different) went to the second room Zoie had pointed out to them. It was in fact designed identically, open window, rose scent and all. 

 

Molly practically jumped onto the ladder of one of the bunk bed sets to claim the top bunk as his own, threatening to curse anyone who would dare take this opportunity away from him. 

 

Because seriously, two beds stacked on top of each other?  _ Genius!  _

 

The beds were indeed quite soft, the sheets smooth to the touch and obviously well-cared for, albeit showing signs of wear and tear. The whole setup was very clearly designed for people to stay only a night or two, before the room was reset and cleaned up ready for the next person. Molly enjoyed it very much. 

 

Fjord, Shakäste and Caleb weren’t very bothered with who got the other top bunk, Caleb eventually being assigned to it on account of being the lightest of the bunch. Molly thought that was silly reasoning, since the framework of the bunk beds were made out of stone, and could probably handle a fair amount of weight, but whatever. If the others couldn’t see the incredibleness of a top bunk, that was their problem. 

 

He laid back on the bed, kicking his legs up so that his feet touched the ceiling and grinning, when he heard rushed footsteps slowly approaching. 

 

“Excuse me-oh, hello!” A feminine voice spoke up, and Molly wriggled around on the bed to see the door. 

 

Marisol was standing there, wearing similar pale golden robes as the young boy from before - Nero, Molly thought his name was - but with her hair braided up in a similar way to Zoie’s, sans the added jewellery. Her face lit up when she saw Molly and Shakäste, smiling widely and clapping her hands together.

 

“Oh, it’s so nice to see you again!” She said, darting into the room and shaking hands with Shakäste, who was settled down on the bunk just below Molly’s. Marisol then spun around to shake Fjord’s hand as well, continuing to talk a mile a minute the entire time. “And to meet your friends! I’m so glad you were able to see them! I hope you like the rooms, we clean them every day so they’re always ready for new travellers!”

 

“It’s very kind of you, really.” Fjord said, gently interrupting Marisol when she paused to take a breath. “You needn’t be so hospitable to us.” 

 

“It’s the least we can do after the help you two gave us.” Marisol said, nodding at Molly and Shakäste. “If it hadn’t been for them, and Steph and Brylin and Fatima, I might never have been able to come home.” 

 

“Well, we appreciate your hospitality immensely, Marisol. It’s very nice to see you again too.” Shakäste said, nodding his head. 

 

“How was your trip here?” Molly asked, curious. 

 

Marisol made a vague gesture with her hand. “It was alright. Not much really happened, but Steph, Brylin, Fatima and Aldon told me lots of stories about them, and they told me about you two! I still can’t believe the five of you infiltrated Ransford’s home all by yourself. Or, er, four I guess.” 

 

“And how  _ are  _ Steph, Brylin, Fatima and Aldon?” Molly tilted his head. “Your… aunt, was it? Yes, your aunt told us they’ve all got jobs now.” 

 

“Oh yes, Steph works here for the temple, taking care of all our horses and animals. I think Fatima works at a bakery, Aldon does deliveries all around the city, and Brylin’s actually managed to join the Trifolian Guard. Just as a regular guard in the jails, but it’s still very exciting!” 

 

As Marisol continued to talk, some of the others from the other room began to drift in, drawn by the sound of excited conversation. Once Marisol realised her audience had grown large, she clapped her hands together again, somehow managing to smile wider than before.

 

“Oh, is this all of you? I can give you a tour of the temple! It’s very nice, and I can take you all the way through it.” 

 

Some of them seemed more open to the idea of a guided tour of the temple than others, but Molly had a different idea. 

 

“Is Steph around? I wouldn’t mind saying hi to her again.” He said, smiling innocently as he thought of how much he’d terrorised Steph. She’d deserved it at the time, and he had no regrets. Still, it would remain to be seen whether Steph would be as receptive to his arrival as Marisol was. 

 

“Of course! She should be taking care of your cart and animals, I’ll show you the way!” Marisol said, turning on her heel and slipping past Yasha and Caduceus, calling out for them to follow her. 

 

Molly jumped down from his bed, following her out of the room and glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone else would follow. Just about everyone did, apparently deciding that meeting some of these mysterious people from Molly’s time apart from them was far more interesting than having a nap or whatever else was a possibility. 

 

Marisol led them towards a side door that in turn led out to the stable, a wooden addition to the main temple building that was lined with stalls for horses, pens for any other miscellaneous animals, and large storehouses for carts. It was all very well-organised, to accommodate any number of unique travellers and their companions or vehicles. 

 

“Steph! Steph!” Marisol called out as they made their way past rows of horses, Jester insisting on patting every single one as they went by. “Stephano!”

 

“Don’t call me that!” A muffled shout came from one of the storehouses with an ajar door, followed by a yelp of shock. Marisol cast a glance over her shoulder at them following her before walking up to it, opening the door up fully.

 

Steph was standing there, almost exactly like how Molly remembered her minus the heavy cloak she’d been wearing in Felderwin, a smattering of freckles dusting her skin - still pale, but a few shades tanner than she’d been before - and her golden brown hair tied up in two tight buns on either side of her head rather than the complicated braid style she’d been wearing when he’d seen her last. 

 

She was also standing right next to the Mighty Nein’s cart, a helpless expression on her face and a blink dog darting around her feet threatening to trip her if she took so much as a single step, noticeable talon scratches lining her arms. 

 

“Why is there an  _ owl?” _ She exclaimed, pointing upwards to where Professor Thaddeus was circling.

 

“Ah shit.” Molly heard Beau mutter from somewhere behind him. 

 

“Hi Steph.” He said, taking great pleasure at watching Steph’s expression shift from confusion to recognition to horror mixed with surprise. Exactly what he’d expected and hoped for. 

 

“You! You’re back!” 

 

“What, you thought you could escape?” Molly asked, grinning and striking a pose in the doorway, hoping he looked as majestic as he felt. 

 

“Nice to see you again, Steph.” Shakäste said, his voice entirely pleasant and with not even a hint of resentment. Not that he’d let it show even if he did resent Steph, which Molly was fairly sure he didn’t. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Steph asked, before a grimace crossed her face. “Is this owl yours?” 

 

Molly just pointed in Beau’s direction, the monk letting out a groan before pushing past him, reaching into the cart and try and find some food to bribe Professor Thaddeus down. 

 

“Oh yeah, also your cart is freaky as fuck.” Steph said, looking like she had had a very interesting half an hour or so, and had suddenly realised the reason why. 

 

Molly just ‘hmm’ed, resting his hands on his hips. “So, Marisol tells me you’re doing an actual job. I’m almost proud.” 

 

Steph snorted, folding her arms and regaining some of the haughtiness she’d projected so often when she’d been interacting with Molly in Felderwin. Still, her shoulders weren’t as tense, and her pout not as genuine. 

 

“What can I say? They let me stay with them for free, so I have to do  _ something. _ ” She mumbled through the last few words, glancing away from them and rubbing her arm awkwardly. “And I don’t think Zoie would be as cool with me stealing stuff as Brylin and Fatima were.” 

 

“No stealing stuff.” Marisol said, her smile not wavering for a second. “It could get you very arrested.”

 

“And it’s not good to get arrested in Trifolia Cove, I know.” Steph said, rolling her eyes. “I only did it like… once. Twice. Three times, tops.” 

 

“Hold up, it’s not good to get arrested in Trifolia Cove?” Molly’s curiosity was instantly piqued, since the Mighty Nein and being arrested (or nearly being arrested) went together like two people desperate to get laid. “Why not?”

 

“Trifolia Cove thas a reputation for being somewhere you can go if you’re… unable to return to your home for whatever illegal reasons.” Marisol said, wincing. “But in return for not caring about any criminal records you may have - unless you did something  _ really  _ bad, they take the rules here very seriously. If you cause even a little disturbance, you can get into trouble for it.” 

 

“Ugh, sounds terrible.” Nott grimaced, looking more and more displeased by the second. “We’ve gotta get out of here as soon as possible.”

 

“Eh, here’s a bit of a grey zone. We’re not technically in Trifolia Cove here, so  _ technically  _ you can get away with causing a little bit of chaos.” Steph said, before catching the reprimanding look in Marisol’s eyes. “Of course, it’s a bad idea to be doing anything illegal because I don’t want to get into trouble.” 

 

“It’s good to make an effort to break bad habits.” Shakäste said. 

 

“Heh, yeaaaaaah.” Steph continued to rub her arm nervously, looking around at them all before perking up a little. “Sooooo, hi Molly’s friends.”

 

“Hi person who kidnapped Shakäste.” Nott said, folding her arms and looking up at Steph with a suspicious look on her face. 

 

“If you kidnap one of us again I will kill you.” Yasha said, her greatsword never looking as threatening on her back as it did in that moment. 

 

The blood drained from Steph’s skin in an instant, looking from Nott to Yasha to Shakäste to Molly, like she was looking for confirmation if it was a joke or not. Molly was perfectly content to let her wonder, but fortunately for her not all of the Mighty Nein was as petty as him.

 

“There will be no killing people unnecessarily.” Fjord said, notably not excluding the possibility that killing Steph may be necessary for some reason, which probably didn’t help her fears much. 

 

“I’m sure your kidnapping days are over, aren’t they, dear?” Shakäste said, walking up to Steph and giving her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. 

 

“Oh gods yes.” Steph said quickly, squinting at Yasha’s sword. 

 

“Ah, Steph, it  _ is  _ nice to see you again. You can now say you’ve met the Mighty Nein, and lived to tell the tale.” Molly said.

 

“For now.” Jester grinned devilishly, for no obvious reason besides the fact that she wanted to join in on the threatening of poor Steph. 

 

“Ha ha!” Steph laughed nervously, jolting in fright as Nugget suddenly blinked into Jester’s arms. “Hey, I’ve got an idea! Why don’t we not kill me  _ please _ and go say hi to Fatima! Her shift should be over soon!” 

 

Molly brightened up. “That’s a great idea! She’s inside the walls, right?”

 

“Yeah. She’s working at this new bakery, it just opened up, so they needed new workers.” Steph said, pointing in the general direction of the walls to Trifolia Cove. “I don’t know how long you guys are staying, but she works all day, so if you leave tomorrow you might not see her.”

 

Molly was pretty sure Steph just wanted someone she could deflect threats onto, but he didn’t really care. It would be nice to see Fatima again, especially since they probably weren’t going to stay any longer than one night. Free lodgings was great, but he didn’t want to wear out their welcome, especially when knowing the kind of chaos that usually followed them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention at the end of last chapter, but if you haven't read Nothing But A Note, these characters may not make much sense to you. If you are hoping to read it, I'd suggest going and doing that now lmao.
> 
> If you haven't read it and you don't want to, here's a brief synopsis of these characters. They're not ultra important to this story, so you don't need to worry too much. But spoilers for last story. 
> 
> Steph: Full name Stephano Stephen (she hates it). An elven rogue who is easily flustered and all around a bit of a brat. Tries hard to be edgy but just doesn't have the stuff for it.  
> Fatima: A human fighter, she is always exasperated at something and is generally the most concerned with making her life and the life of her close friends and family easier. Also Brylin's girlfriend   
> Brylin: A gnomish barbarian. Has a warhammer taller than she is, and loves the three F's. Fighting, Food, and Fatima.   
> Aldon: Brylin's younger brother, about as NPCish as you can get. He's sweet and young, was lowkey held hostage in the last story, no biggie.  
> Marisol: A human cleric. Was highkey held hostage last story, but didn't really do much. She's a ray of sunshine, and lives with her aunt and cousins in the temple she grew up in. 
> 
> Anyway, so yup. Like I said, they aren't as involved as they were last story, but they're chilling around and I still love them. 
> 
> Also, NaNoWriMo is finally over!! I clocked in with a final total of 133.3k words, which I'm pretty proud of.


	30. Trifolia Cove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the gang do some exploring.

The guards at the entrance to Trifolia Cave proper seemed to have a far more detailed entry system than most of the city-states alongside the Menagerie Coast. There were two entrances right next to each other, one which had a short line of travellers and tourists, while the other had people mostly on foot, or with small carts full of wares. 

 

Steph directed the Mighty Nein - all of them deciding to go along to take a look at the city - into the latter line, whipping out a small piece of paper that said she lived and worked in the Adjunct, which was apparently the name of the town outside the city walls that Marisol’s temple was located in. 

 

“A lot of people in the Adjunct go to work inside Trifolia, so they set up a second line so they can get in quicker. Tourists and travellers, or people looking to live here have to get searched before they go in.” Steph explained, showing the piece of paper to the guard as they approached the front of the line, which didn’t have many people in it anyway. “These guys are all travelling with me.”

 

“Tough security.” Molly muttered, watching as one traveller emptied out their bag to a guard.

 

“Yeah, they take it pretty seriously. Trifolia Cove has like, the biggest guard and military capabilities of the entire Coast. They’re crazy.” Steph said, waiting for the guard to double-check her paper. “It’s why I prefer to stay outside in the Adjunct. There’s fun stuff inside, but I hate dealing with the guards.” 

 

“Miss Stephen, You’re vouching for all of these travellers?” The guard asked, squinting down at them all, a very bedraggled bunch, many of which still had bloodstains on their clothes from the last fight. They’d have to find a bathhouse or something. 

 

“Yes.” Steph said. “They’re staying at the Changebringer’s temple.” 

 

“Ah.” The guard nodded, and Molly made a note that the temple seemed to have a degree of respect. “Very well then. You’re responsible for making sure they obey all rules.” 

 

“Got it.” Steph said, waving her hand and taking back her papers, tucking them into a pocket on her pants. “Alright, let’s go!” 

 

They all bustled through the line, Molly winking at the guard as they passed, who just narrowed his eyes at them, saying nothing. 

 

The inside of Trifolia Cove was just as bright and sturdily built as the walls themselves. While Solanarose had been holding onto their aging buildings, none of the structures here seemed to be more than two decades old, with stone buildings just as common as older wooden ones. People were bustling around on mid-afternoon errands, and guards seemed to patrol every corner. 

 

“Here, Fatima’s bakery is this way.” Steph said, leading them along streets and doing her best to avoid the eye of all of the guards seemingly out of sheer force of habit. 

 

Molly found all the security rather strange, and couldn’t possibly imagine living here. Or the Mighty Nein being able to stay here for longer than a few days. 

 

“So, if there’s guards everywhere, what do you do for fun in here?” Nott asked, seemingly running along the same wavelength as Molly. 

 

Steph scoffed. “Just about nothing. I’ve  _ heard  _ some of the taverns, like the Right Worker and the Greased Elderberry have some fun drinking games and events and stuff, but as soon as one barfight breaks out, whoosh, the guards come swarming in.” She rolled her eyes, fiddling with one of her buns. “It’s such a buzzkill.”

 

“Sounds super lame.” Beau said, her arms folded and looking around with distaste. 

 

“You got that right.” Steph said, before sighing. “But at least they won’t ship us back to the Empire for Ransford to find us and kill us, so it’s got some good points. I guess.” 

 

They continued along the path, eventually coming across the bakery Fatima worked at. It was in what seemed to be a relatively new street, with lots of fresh and pristine buildings that had yet to be worn down by years of use. The bakery had two large windows with a ajar wooden door in the middle, letting the sweet smells of freshly baked bread into the street to entice anyone with a hungry stomach. 

 

“Flour Power? Really?” Fjord read out the name  of the bakery, and Molly nearly snorted.

 

“Yeah.” Steph said, grimacing. 

 

“That’s the best name for a bakery I’ve ever heard in my life!” Jester said, bouncing on her toes and looking very happy to be there. 

 

They walked inside, which was warmly lit with a large shop floor, seats pushed up against the walls for people to sit on and potted plants sitting in the corner. A long wooden counter stretched across the entire length of the store, with shelves of bread, pastries and other baked goods clearly visible. 

 

Fatima, looking very much the same as she did the last time Molly had seen her in a bakery, was manning the counter. Her face brightened up when she saw Steph, morphed into confusion when she saw all the people following her, before shifting into downright horror mixed with hesitant optimism (what a combination) when she recognised Molly and Shakäste. 

 

“Oh my gods.” She said, an awkward smile plastered on her face. “Uh, it’s you!”

 

“Hello Fatima.” Molly smirked, walking up to the counter and leaning forwards on it. “So nice to see you again.”   
  


The woman recovered herself, her smile shifting into a more natural-looking one, her hands smoothing down her dress and looking around the shop to confirm there was no other customers at the moment. It was slightly awkward, but considering that the last time Molly had met Fatima in a bakery it ended with him chasing her down and insulting her so hard her ears began to bleed, some awkwardness was warranted. 

 

“Mollymauk. It’s a surprise to see you again. Is- are these your friends?” She asked, resting her hands on the counter. 

 

“The Mighty Nein! Wonderful to make your acquaintance, do you have cinnamon scrolls?” Jester bounded up next to Molly, leaning even further over the counter than he had and pushing herself right up into Fatima’s personal space, a very serious expression in her eyes only countered by the smile on her face. 

 

“Uh, yes?” Fatima flinched, her eyes widening but managing not to take a step backwards in the face of Jester. A solid feat, in Molly’s opinion. “How many would you like?”

 

“How many do you have?” Jester countered, narrowing her eyes like this was a very intense interrogation. “Do keep in mind, the answer could be the difference between life and  _ death _ .” 

 

Fatima’s mouth dropped open and she looked to Mollymauk, who just nodded somberly. 

 

Then, she looked to Shakäste, who nodded as well, his face as neutral as ever. 

 

A little bit of concern flashing in her eyes, Fatima finally looked towards Steph, who just threw her arms in defeat. 

 

“Ah- okay. Well, we have fifteen right now, but there’s a fresh batch that should be ready in just a few minutes.” Fatima cleared her throat. “And, uh… yeah.” 

 

“Ooh, I’ll wait for the fresh ones!” Jester said, beaming like she hadn’t vaguely threatened Fatima’s life. “Can you put extra cinnamon on them?”

 

“I’ll see what I can do.” Fatima said, quickly vanishing to the back of shop. 

 

Jester turned around, leaning her elbows back on the counter and grinning. “I like her.” 

 

“Didn’t she help kidnap Shakäste too?” Nott asked, her arms folded and still looking suspiciously at Steph every few moments.

 

“Okay, we  _ apologised  _ for that like a  _ million  _ times.” Steph said, looking pained at every reminder.

 

“Don’t worry, Nott. They more than made up for their terrible mistakes by helping rescue Shakäste.” Molly said, walking over to Steph and patting her on the shoulder. “Also, they were being blackmailed.”

 

“If it helps, I don’t harbour any ill feelings towards them.” Shakäste pointed out. 

 

Nott glanced between them, ‘hmm’ing to herself. “Alright then.” She said, before pointing at her eyes and then pointing at Steph. “But I’ll be watching yoouuuu.”

 

“Okay.” Steph said, fidgeting nervously with her hands. 

 

After a few more minutes Fatima returned with her peace offering of the fresh batch of cinnamon scrolls with extra cinnamon, allowing Jester to take her pick of which ones she wanted. Of course Fjord had to step in to make sure she didn’t take the entire tray, eventually compromising with a healthy half of the tray. 

 

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you all, but my shift doesn’t end for a few hours, so unless you plan on waiting around or someone else wants to buy something, there isn’t much more I can offer you.” Fatima said, wearing a perfect customer service smile. 

 

“They’re staying at the temple, so I’ll bring them back for dinner.” Steph said, before glancing at the Mighty Nein. “You know, if you guys want to.” 

 

“That sounds wonderful, we’ll be looking forward to it.” Shakäste said on behalf of the group.

 

With that decided, the tour continued. Steph took them along some of the main streets in the city, pointing out all the different taverns and shops and going into great detail on her thoughts about them and the people who ran them. Somehow, despite having only been living here for a very short period of time, she had already managed to locate the most popular spots for drug deals and other shady activities - which she swore she never took part in. Molly wasn’t quite sure if he believed her, but she seemed mostly sincere. She at least seemed to be giving a crime-free life an effort. 

 

All in all, Trifolia Cove seemed relatively normal, with the only notable parts of it really being the newness of the buildings and the higher-than-average number of guards. According to Steph, Trifolia Cove acted as a sort of military might for the Triad and the rest of the Menagerie Coast. If you wanted somewhere safe to live, and were happy to have a decent amount of surveillance in your life, Trifolia Cove was the place.

 

The entire place creeped Molly out within minutes, and he could tell some of the others didn’t like it either. As a group they attracted a lot of attention even when they  _ weren’t _ doing something exceptionally bold or stupid. They were all used to a certain amount of curious or suspicious glances from other citizens and guards, but here it just seemed to be exaggerated tenfold, and it sent a shiver creeping up his spine. 

 

Steph seemed displeased by the attention as well, keeping the group moving at a brisk pace and hunching her shoulders. For a girl who was used to working in the shadows, it was an entirely new experience to be the odd one out wherever she went. 

 

Going back out to the Adjunct was even smoother than going in it, with Steph once again handing off her paper and the guard doing a quick headcount to make sure all nine of the Mighty Nein that had entered left. 

 

“Welcome back!” Marisol was waiting for them as they arrived, just as cheery and excited as she’d been when she first met with them. “Dinner’s nearly ready, so you’re welcome to go wait in our dining room!”

 

Steph excused herself to visit her own room, allowing Marisol to lead the Mighty Nein to the dining room. It was a side room in the temple, tucked just to the left of the main worshipping chamber. It was a very long room, with wooden tables lined up with matching benches, at which a few scattered travellers were gathered, some alone but most in small groups. At the back of the room was a double door that led into a kitchen, and a large table covered by a golden cloth, which had large bowls of steaming food that they couldn’t quite identify at that distance, but which sent a hearty aroma into the air. 

 

“It’s pretty basic food because we make it in bulk, but it’s really nice!” Marisol said, showing them where to grab some plates, cutlery, and drinks. “Our chef Clae is really good, she’s been working here for years.” 

 

“Marisol!” Marisol turned around, as a young girl, looking to be in her early to mid teens, ran up to them. She, like, Marisol, wore pale golden clothes, but rather than robes it was a simple tunic tied up with a belt, and dark brown pants. She looked almost like a younger version of Marisol, albeit with very chubby cheeks still holding onto some baby fat, and straighter hair. “Are these the people that helped saved you?” 

 

Marisol’s cheeks darkened, and she scratched the back of her neck. “Uh, yes, well, two of them did. Mighty Nein, this is my cousin Etta. Etta, this is the Mighty Nein. Molly and Shakäste are the two who helped save me.” 

 

“Woah.” Etta said, clapping her hands against her cheeks, eyes sparkling. “You look just like how I thought you would!” 

 

“Oh, you’ve heard stories about us?” Molly asked, absolutely delighted at the thought of tales about their (or rather, his and Shakäste’s) heroic deeds spreading far and wide. “All good things, I hope.”

 

“Yes!” Etta said, absolutely oblivious to Marisol’s obvious embarrassment. “When Marisol came back with Brylin and all them, we were  _ super  _ worried cause in her last letter she said she’d gotten into trouble, even though she said she was fine we were still worried because she didn’t go into  _ any  _ details at all!” 

 

Molly listened as Etta spoke at great lengths about the day Marisol had returned to the temple with four fugitives in tow and a tale of kidnapping that ended with an entire manor burning down, and a mysterious purple tiefling who may or may not have been absolutely crazy spearheading the entire endeavor. 

 

Much of the rest of the Mighty Nein, who had already heard the tale told from Molly and Shakäste’s point of view, and couldn’t quite keep up with the talking speed of a teenager, silently slipped away from the conversation, finding an empty part of the table for them to fill up. Shakäste stayed alongside them, reassuring Marisol that they didn’t mind the endless chatter at all. 

 

“-so  _ then  _ Maman hugged her lots and she gave Brylin and everyone a room to stay at for as long as they need, and that’s it!” Etta finished, taking in a deep breath of air before beaming expectantly up at him. 

 

“That is the most amazing story I’ve ever heard.” Molly said sincerely, still holding a plate of rapidly cooling food in his hands. “It was wonderful talking to you, but I think I’ll go have dinner now. Perhaps you can tell me more later on.”

 

Etta’s eyes lit up at the same time as Marisol cringed, and Marisol had seemed so sunny for as long as Molly had known her that it was funny to see Etta was enough to faze her. “Okay! Bye!” 

 

“She’s pretty chatty, I’m sorry, I know you probably want to go eat with your friends.” Marisol said apologetically. 

 

“Nonsense. If a lot of talking could annoy me I would have ditched those assholes ages ago.” Molly said, perfectly aware that he contributed a lot of talking, but perfectly happy to ignore that in order to make his point. 

 

“She’s very sweet, and your entire family has already offered us so much. The least we can do is listen to your cousins story.” Shakäste smiled warmly. 

 

“Well, if you’re not bothered by it…” Marisol said, returning a shaky smile before glancing behind her. “I’m sorry, but I have a few jobs to do before I can have dinner. I hope you enjoy.” She gave a short little bow before turning and walking away, leaving Molly and Shakäste to walk to where the rest of the Mighty Nein was seated. 

 

“That took a while.” Jester said, already half-finished her meal and snacking on one of her cinnamon scrolls. At some point Steph had returned and fetched her own food, and so had Fatima, both seated together near the edge of the group. 

 

“She was an excellent storyteller.” Molly said simply, sitting down and tucking into his food. Even half-cooled, it was still delicious. And it was free, so he wouldn’t have complained anyway. 

 

“In any case, should we discuss what we’re going to do next? How long will we be staying here?” Shakäste asked, taking a deliberately slow sip of his drink. There was no alcohol, just water and juice, but Molly supposed that was alright since it was a temple, not a bar. 

 

“I know Zoie said we were welcome to stay, but I’d rather not abuse her hospitality.” Fjord said. “Does anything need anything they might need to stay for?”

 

There were a lot of shrugs, and a few vague mutterings about their current supplies and when they would need to make a pit stop. 

 

“I think we’re good for food and water and everything, as long as no one digs into it in the middle of the night. Again.” Beau said, looking pointedly at Caduceus, who just shrugged. 

 

“I am tall. I need lots of food.” He said by way of defense, and Molly snickered under his breath.

 

“So just eat more at dinner!”

  
“It’s not healthy to eat too much at once.” Caduceus said calmly, before holding up a hand. “I may need to buy some food. For myself.”

 

“What about you, Caleb?” Fjord asked. “Good on paper and ink?”

 

“He’s  _ never  _ good on paper and ink.” Jester said.

 

Caleb scoffed, folding his arms. “That is not true.”

 

“Do you want to buy more paper and ink?” Jester raised one eyebrow, leaning towards Caleb. 

 

There was a short pause. “No…” 

 

“Yeah, okay, that’s a lie. There’s gotta be somewhere we can buy more paper and ink.” Fjord said. “Steph, Fatima, do you know a place?”

 

“I’ve seen a bookstore that might sell some, but I’m afraid I don’t know exactly where it is. Marisol might know.” Fatima said, while Steph just shrugged. 

 

After a few minutes of debating things they may or may not need to buy, and how long said shopping trips would take (adding a few hours for any delays or mishaps that were likely to occur), they eventually figured that they’d be all finished by midday at the latest, allowing them to get a good start on the trip to Rivulari, their final obstacle before finally getting to Port Damali. 

 

Halfway through Nott and Jester bickering over whether they’d have time to visit the beach (Nott arguing vehemently against, Jester just as enthusiastically arguing for), they were interrupted by a gnome barreling herself into Fatima, the woman barely having time to catch herself before she fell out of her chair entirely. 

 

“Fatima! It’s been so long!” Brylin, her undercut growing out and her hair loose and tousled from hours spent wearing a helmet, not even noticing Molly and the rest of the Mighty Nein sitting there, too busy kissing Fatima and beginning to complain about her day. Steph began to giggle, and Molly rested his chin on his hands, silently counting how long it would take Brylin to notice.

 

“Oh, hello!” Aldon, wearing simple clothes and looking too tired to really react in any extreme way, walked up a lot slower, waving at Molly and Shakäste before looking back at his sister, then at the Mighty Nein. “Has she said hi yet?”

 

“Hasn’t even noticed we’re here.” Molly said. 

 

“This is the gnome?” Yasha, sitting next to Molly, whispered in his ear. Molly just nodded, and there was a moment of silence. 

 

“She does not look tall enough to carry a war hammer.” 

 

“She’s a lot stronger than she looks.” 

 

Brylin finally seemed to notice there were other people besides her girlfriend in the room, saying a quick hello to Steph before turning her head and laying her eyes on Molly. She froze for a moment, her eyes narrowing and her mouth dropping open, then closing, and then opening again, before a wide grin spread on her face.

 

“Hey! It’s you guys!” She said, pointing a finger at Molly and then at Shakäste, and then at the rest of the Mighty Nein. “And your people!”

 

“Yes, they’re staying here, for tonight at least.” Fatima said, her cheeks flushed and a slightly goofy smile on her face, kissing Brylin on the cheek.

 

“Ooh!” Brylin slid easily onto the bench next to Fatima, her face alight and curiosity clear. “What are you guys doing on the Menagerie Coast?” 

 

“We’re chasing down pirates!” Nott said, always eager to tell people of their current goal, as vague as it was. 

 

Probably because it was something that always impressed people, even if there was a notion of ‘okay, these people are crazy’ that often went along with it. 

 

“That sounds super fun.” Brylin said, looking entirely genuine. “What kind of pirates?”

 

“Smuggling ones, murdery ones, you know, typical pirates.” Nott said, puffing out her chest proudly. “They won’t know what hit them!”

 

“We’re not planning to fight them or anything.” Fjord said, grimacing. “Yet.” 

 

“We probably will fight them.” Molly said cheerfully. “But what about you four? You’ve been staying here for a while, what have you been doing?”

 

“We’re saving up money, mostly. We give some of it to the temple, because they’ve been so kind to us, but the rest of it we’re saving up.” Fatima said, one arm wrapped around Brylin’s shoulder. 

 

“What are you saving up for?” Jester asked. 

 

“Better equipment, better weapons, a cart, some horses…” Brylin flicked up a finger with each item she listed. “You know, stuff that’ll help us if we’re travelling around a lot.”

 

“We want to help all the people we fucked over, but we’re not quite sure of how to… find them.” Steph added, cringing and holding her head in her hands. “So we figure we’ll have to do a  _ lot  _ of wandering around.”

 

“That’s rather noble.” Caleb said, one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

 

“Well, we’re the ones who fucked with them, so…” Steph rubbed at her arms, grimacing harder with every passing moment they talked about it. “We’re the ones who’ve got to fix it.” 

 

Fatima was nodding slowly, looking somber. “Sometimes it’s hard to sleep, knowing that there’s people out there whose lives are ruined because of us. Even if we were being blackmailed, we still hurt people. We’ve got to make it up somehow.” 

 

Molly smiled softly, if only because redemption was something that he held very near and dear to his heart. The rest of the Mighty Nein had fallen silent, but whether it was simply because they were respecting that someone else was talking or because they felt the sentiment as deeply as he did was unclear. Caleb at the very least looked distinctly uncomfortable, while a few others were nodding alongside Fatima. 

 

“Will Aldon be accompanying you?” Shakäste asked. “He’s not as much of a fighter as you three, I know.”

 

Aldon himself had disappeared to fetch his own dinner, and the three women at the end of the table all glanced in his direction. Brylin was the one to answer through, exhaling loosely and leaning slightly into Fatima.

 

“We’re not sure yet. I don’t want to leave him alone here, not that I don’t trust Marisol and her family, but I only just got him back. I’ve always got these two,” She stuck a finger out at Steph and leaned in closer to Fatima. “But Aldon’s only really got me. But also, he can barely hold a knife without stabbing himself so I don’t think the adventure and vigilante life is for him.” 

 

“I’m sure you’ll be able to figure something out.” Molly said. “Besides, it’s not like you’re leaving tomorrow.”

 

“Yeah.” Brylin said, her voice trailing off. “Well, I’m gonna go grab some food.” 

 

She jumped off her chair and walked off towards the food. 

 

The rest of them quietly tucked into their food, a short silence overtaking them before Jester, bless her heart, jumped in with questions on other things to see in Trifolia Cove, a happy change of subject that all of them pounced on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a few hours late! I've had a hectic morning :) 
> 
> But here it is! 
> 
> This is also the final chapter in Google Doc 2 for Bridge (Google Doc 4 overall for the entire AU), the next chapter will be from Google Doc 5, the final google doc. Yayyyyyy
> 
> Also this chapter contains one of my personal favourite scenes, namely Jester lowkey vaguely threatening Fatima's life (She's joking of course. Probably) and Fatima looks to Molly for confirmation. He nods. She looks to Shakäste. He nods. (Hey, he likes jokes just as much as the others). She looks to Steph. She has no idea how serious these nerds are about anything at this point. 
> 
> Ha. I just love that kind of stuff.


	31. Out Of Bounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shakäste makes a misstep.

The next morning both Steph and Marisol offered to guide them through Trifolia Cove to anywhere they wanted to go. In order to complete their respective tasks as quickly as possible, they tentatively decided to split up, conscious of what had happened in Nicodranas. 

 

Theoretically, they should be fine, since none of them had committed any crimes that warranted the guards being on the lookout for them (yet). Still, they weren’t quite keen on taking any chances. 

 

To aid in that, Jester promised not to vandalize any stores - though she was careful to note that simply rearranging storefronts didn’t really count as vandalism, and no one could be bothered to argue otherwise - and everyone agreed to do their best not to cause any trouble. 

 

With that, they split up. The first group was Marisol, Jester, and Caleb, off to stock up on their ever-dwindling supply of paints, paper, and ink. Nott, Yasha, and Molly weren’t looking for anywhere in particular, and when Molly had suggested looking for flowers to make flower crowns of all things (justifying it by saying that no guard would arrest someone with a flower crown), they’d dragged along Steph to help them find a park. That left Caduceus, Shakäste, Fjord, and Beau, who didn’t need an escort because the first three of them were generally responsible to take care of themselves, making up for any chaotic energy the last of them wrought. 

 

Shakäste no longer made a habit of hoping for things to go well, because if all his time with the Mighty Nein had taught him anything, it was that if the universe heard the words ‘this is going well’, it made a distinct effort to make everything go as poorly as possible. He was a religious man, not a superstitious one, but he also believed in the notion of ‘better safe than sorry’. 

 

Still, since his group had absolutely no goal in particular, they were left to wander around Trifolia Cove together, stopping every now and then to look at something interesting before moving on. Fjord and Beau walked on ahead, bickering animatedly with each other about who was the better swimmer. Despite having only seen the ocean for the first time a few weeks ago, Beau maintained that it was her. Fjord rightly called her out on that bullshit, hence the debate. 

 

Caduceus walked alongside Shakäste a few steps behind that pair, content to listen to the bickering and otherwise enjoy the atmosphere. One benefit of having so many guards around was that they could at least be certain that the streets were as safe as could be, and the streets of Trifolia Cove were rather pretty to look at anyway. Flowers lined the streets, sending sweet smells drifting through the air. The sun, still low enough in the sky when they set out that it hadn’t quite reached over the massive outside walls of the city, cast long shadows, but it made the city all the more beautiful as it slowly began to brighten up. 

 

A lot had happened in the past few days, and Shakäste had been carefully watching through all of it. With the chaos of fighting the cultists, and Nott’s death and subsequent resurrection, he’d been slightly concerned, especially since he had a feeling at least a couple of the Mighty Nein still had unresolved issues pertaining to the  _ last  _ death of a party member. 

 

Still, as a group, they seemed to have handled it about as well as could be expected. Being able to immediately kill the perpetrator and resurrect Nott within minutes undoubtedly helped, not giving enough time for the loss to truly sink in, but Shakäste knew that it could, and would still hurt. 

 

Which it did, but even then, most of them seemed able to find ways to handle it themselves. Whether it was through talking to one another or another, quieter coping method, they were bouncing back, and it was a relief to see. 

 

Molly had been shaken after the entire event, that much had been obvious, even beyond Nott’s death. He hadn’t gone into detail about it with him, but Shakäste had a feeling he’d spoken about it with someone. Most likely Yasha, considering the close bond the two shared. Yasha herself hadn’t seemed particularly affected, once she’d gotten the initial rage out of her system (taking it out, alongside quite a few of the others, on the woman who’d killed Nott in the first place.)

 

Caduceus seemed alright as well, and Jester had handled it surprisingly well since she had always been one of the more emotional members of the group. However, Shakäste had a feeling that being the one to do the successful resurrection ritual had gone a long way towards helping her deal with it, because Shakäste often found that in the case of someones’ death, one of the biggest regrets from survivors was the simple notion of ‘ _ why didn’t I do more?’.  _ With Jester, she did do more, and it worked, so she was satisfied. 

 

Nott herself seemed the least affected, ironically enough, purely because she lacked the memories of the event to begin with. She was upset at how upset everyone else was, but there was little to really be done with that except help everyone else not be so upset anymore. 

 

A lot of the others were more complicated, and although Shakäste had spent quite some time traveling with them by now, there was still only so much he knew about them. Caleb was a constant enigma, and one that Shakäste didn’t quite feel he had the qualifications to handle himself. Caleb was closed off to his friends and even more closed off to his acquaintances, and Shakäste felt that he still hovered somewhere in the grey area between those two classifications. His mood had noticeably improved a little by that morning, but he wasn’t sure how much of an improvement that was in the long run. 

 

Fjord and Beau were the two that he felt hadn’t dealt with their feelings about it. Or perhaps had even admitted those feelings. Hence why, when those two had both declared they didn’t have anywhere in particular they wanted to go, Shakäste had also offered to go wandering with them. 

 

Perhaps a little underhanded, but he did also enjoy wandering, so it worked out well. In any case, it was always better to try and nip problems in the bud, but without being too forceful. Molly had shown that clearly enough, so for the most part, today Shakäste just wanted to see if there  _ was  _ a problem that might need dealing with. The best case scenario was that both Fjord and Beau had already worked through any lingering issues regarding the fight in the abandoned temple (or, even Molly’s death and the circumstances surrounding that particular event), and they were both perfectly fine.

 

However, although Shakäste hadn’t spent a lot of time with the Mighty Nein, he spent enough time with them to know that Beau had the emotional impulse of a teenager (though she was quite young, so perhaps she hadn’t even been an adult for that long) and Fjord took his unofficial role as the leader quite seriously. Lots of opportunities for emotional issues to arise from that. 

 

“How are your tea stocks?” Shakäste asked Caduceus, to make conversation more than anything. 

 

“Alright, for now. It should last until Rivulari at least, but I wouldn’t mind getting some fresh ones if we stop by a tea shop.” Caduceus said. 

 

“More like the valerian root tea? That one tasted quite nice.”

 

“Some, perhaps.” Caduceus shrugged his shoulders lightly, either purposefully ignoring or blissfully unaware of the curious stares of those around them, unused to a seven-foot firbolg with bright pink hair wandering around. “But I think I’d like some variety the next time I stock up.”

 

Shakäste nodded, stroking Stacy’s feathers where she was currently perched on one of his hands. Some more variety in his tea meant that perhaps Caduceus wasn’t feeling so anxious recently, or was finding sleep a little easier, which was very good. It was also interesting to talk in such a way that you could almost be having two conversations at once, the surface conversation and the true one, the one hidden behind context and subtle word choices, such that it could be tailored for one person and one person alone to understand. It was an art that Shakäste tried to perfect, and one he considered himself fairly successful at. 

 

“We will have to keep on the lookout.” Shakäste mused. “I wouldn’t mind finding a shop like the one we bought tea at in Nicodranas. Run by that woman, Lady Pim? She was very nice.” 

 

“She was. Her tea is very good.” Caduceus nodded seriously, his eyes flickering forwards. “Fjord and Beau seemed to have finished their… debate.” 

 

Shakäste glanced forwards, seeing that Fjord and Beau were indeed no longer bickering, instead now laughing at someone one of them must have said. Funny how quickly conversations could change, Shakäste thought to himself. 

 

He picked up the pace for a few moments, slipping alongside Fjord, while Caduceus did the same on Beau’s side. “So, did you two decide who the better swimmer was?” Shakäste asked, actually interested to see if Beau would admit defeat or not. 

 

Fjord sighed exasperatedly, as if irritated they were talking about it again. “We decided that  _ I’m  _ the better swimmer in the ocean, while  _ she’s  _ the better swimmer in lakes.” He said, punching a thumb in Beau’s direction, who just shrugged dismissively.

 

“Look, I’ve swum in a  _ lot  _ of lakes, and I’m just saying-”

 

“You really don’t need to repeat it.” Fjord sighed, rubbing his temples. “We just stopped talking about it, I don’t want to start again.”

 

“Yeah, alright, don’t worry.” Beau said, a mischievous grin on her face.

 

“Caduceus and I were thinking of looking out for a tea shop, if you two don’t mind.” Shakäste said mildly, deciding it was probably best to steer away from the swimming debate for now. Or forever. “It’s not urgent, but if we come across one we’d like to have a look.” 

 

Both Fjord and Beau shrugged, raising no objections to the suggestion. They both seemed relaxed, which was good. Perhaps that would leave them a bit more open to a bit of a deeper conversation. 

 

“It’s hard to believe we’re nearly at Port Damali.” He started with a neutral comment, one that could branch off into a dozen different conversations, though Shakäste hoped to guide it to a few in particular. 

 

“Yeah. Crazy.” Beau said absentmindedly, looking around the streets as they passed.

 

“It’s your hometown, Fjord, isn’t it?” Caduceus asked, a questioning look in his eye that suggest he had a feeling of what Shakäste was up to, but wasn’t quite sure where it would lead yet. “It must be nice to return.”

 

“It’s… mixed feelings.” Fjord admitted, a twinge of nostalgia colouring his voice. “I missed it sometimes but… I’m not really sure what I’ve got left to return to.”

 

“I feel ya there.” Beau nudged him in the shoulder, and Shakäste mentally filed that away in his brain. 

 

“Is there anything you’re looking forward to again?” Shakäste asked. He knew precious little about Fjord’s life prior to the Mighty Nein, and even less about Beau. All he knew about backstories had been picked up through tiny clues scattered in conversations, like little pieces of paper dropped every now and then. None of them seemed to actively hide their pasts, but they rarely spoke about them, everyone in a more or less mutual agreement to not discuss them for the most part. 

 

The one major exception to that was Jester, who would talk for hours about her childhood given the chance, and every now and then a topic of conversation would come up that would get one of them to reveal a story related to it or someone it reminded them of, but very little beyond that. Shakäste didn’t hold that against them since he did it himself, and not everyone had as pleasant a childhood as Jester, but it meant he often had to tread carefully. There was just so much history and context he was unaware of, and the last thing he wanted was to step over a line he didn’t know was there.

 

So he was left to try testing the waters with careful, neutrally worded questions that gave plenty of opportunity for the person he was asking them to to give a non-answer or something vague enough that wouldn’t require any actually revealing. For now. 

 

“I suppose so.” Fjord said, his hands the pockets of his pants, eyes scanning every shop now that they were technically on the lookout for something. “I’ve got some friends who should still be there, old sailing buddies… It might be nice to see them again.” 

 

“It’s always a wonderful moment to reunite with an old friend.” Shakäste said, and Fjord chuckled.

 

“Yeah. They might be a bit surprised to see me not dead on the ocean floor.” 

 

“Oh?” 

 

“I might’ve left Port Damali very quickly after getting back there after my ship… exploded.” Fjord winced and glanced around nervously. “All my old friends probably think I’m either dead or on a very,  _ very  _ long trip.” 

 

“Then it’ll be even nicer when you see them again.” Beau said. “You can jump out and surprise em.” 

 

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” 

 

“It would be hilarious though.” 

 

“No thanks.” Fjord shook his head, but the corner of his mouth was turning up in a smile. “I’d rather not get stabbed because you think it’s a good idea to hide behind a door and say ‘boo, I’m still alive!’”

 

“It’s a brilliant idea. It’s basically what Molly did, and that worked out great.” Beau said.

 

“What works out well for Molly doesn’t necessarily work out well for everyone else.”

 

Hmmm. Still no real discernable distress, so perhaps it was safe to dig a little deeper. Plus, Beau had brought up the topic of Molly, and indirectly his death, which was an excellent starting point. 

 

“With Molly, didn’t the Gentleman tell you he was there?” Shakäste asked. “He’s the one who sent you to the room we were in, no?”

 

“Oh no, he left it a surprise.” Fjord made a vague jazz hands gesture with his hands, rolling his eyes. “Dramatic ass.” 

 

“He just said there was another job for us, and we had to go talk to this dude in that room.” Beau explained.

 

“You were all certainly very happy to see him.” Shakäste said, looking straight ahead and taking note of what the others were doing through Stacy’s eyes. Beau had raised her eyebrow, while Fjord was looking ahead as well, a thoughtful expression on her face. Caduceus, by now, had most likely definitely guessed what was going on, but didn’t seem particularly fussed about it, walking alongside them and enjoying the morning air. 

 

Neither Fjord nor Beau answered immediately, exchanging a glance that could be boiled down to both of them silently seeing if the other would talk first. Eventually Fjord cleared his throat, rubbing nervously at his wrists but otherwise seeming calm.

 

“Of course we were. He’s one of us.” He said simply , his voice measured with the care of someone who was trying to hide something. 

 

“He was looking forward to reuniting with all of you again too. Even if we did make half a dozen side stops along the way to help people. And break people out of prison. And blow up buildings.” Shakäste said.

 

“That’s Molly for ya.” Beau muttered. “Helping people out and destroying property.” 

 

“Yes, that about sums it up.” Shakäste said. There was a short pause, and all of them glanced at once another, waiting to see who would continue the conversation, or if it would continue at all. 

 

Shakäste cleared his throat. It wasn’t ideal when things stalled, so perhaps it was time to be a little more direct. 

 

“You know, shortly after I resurrected Molly, he’d been struggling with it. He was upset, and rightly so, considering what had happened to him.” He said, keeping his voice calm and even, and not looking directly at the others. Both Fjord and Beau began to frown, while Caduceus raised an eyebrow. 

 

Well, sometimes there was nothing to do but keep going. “To make a very long story short, it was hard to come to terms with dying. And it took him awhile to do so.” 

 

“In what way?” Fjord’s voice was slow and cautious, a slightly surprised look on his face like he wasn’t quite certain he wanted to be talking at all, while Beau’s face tightened, her frown only deepening. 

 

“He talked about it. Admittedly, at first it was more yelling than talking, but he talked about his experiences with death, and I talked about mine.” 

 

“You’ve died before?” Fjord asked, his eyes widening. 

 

“No.” Shakäste shook his head. “But one doesn’t have to be the one dying to suffer from it.” 

 

Beau made a strangely strangled coughing noise, holding her hands up and pausing in the middle of the road. “Nope, I’m out. I’m done with this conversation.”

 

“Beau-” Fjord began, looking conflicted but not entirely comfortable himself. Well that wasn’t ideal, Shakäste thought to himself. 

 

“I did not wake up this morning wanting to talk about death.” Beau said, running her fingers through her hair and pivoting on her heel. “I saw a bar like a block back, I’m gonna get a drink. See ya.” 

 

It only took a few moments before she was gone, vanished into the steadily growing crowd of locals, tourists and merchants. 

 

“Ah, shit. I’ll go after her.” Fjord said. “Uh-”

 

Shakäste held up a hand. “You go. I’ve obviously overstepped my bounds. Please give Beau my apologies.” 

 

Fjord nodded tersely before disappearing after the monk, leaving Shakäste with his disappointment and a few notes on what not to say to Beau. Or perhaps more than a few. 

 

“I’ve found she doesn’t like to talk about her feelings a lot.” Caduceus said mildly, shaking his head ever so slightly. 

 

“No, she doesn’t.” Shakäste said. “And I’m probably not the person who’ll be able to change that.”

 

“Fjord will probably have better luck.” There was a hint of optimism in Caduceus’ voice. “And she can handle herself quite well anyway.”

 

“Yes, I think she’s used to having to handle herself. Far more used to it than she perhaps should be.” Shakäste shook his head, but there was little else he could do but not make the same mistakes twice. Fjord could help Beau simmer down, and perhaps get her to open up where Shakäste couldn’t, but otherwise it was probably wise for him to give them both some space.

 

“Let’s see if we can go find that tea shop, eh?” Caduceus said, patting Shakäste on the shoulder lightly as they stepped towards each other to fill the space Fjord and Beau had left, continuing along the path. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shakäste's pretty cool, but he isn't perfect, and Beau isn't the same as Molly. What worked with him doesn't necessarily work with her. Oops.


	32. Favourite Colours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Beau and Fjord have a discussion.

Fjord had many conflicted feelings about many things, and they only compounded with every passing day. Each day they got closer to Port Damali, his hometown. There was far too many feelings and emotions packed into that for him to even begin dissecting. Each day there seemed to be another problem, another obstacle to overcome. Some of them easy, some of them not so much. 

 

But Beau? Beau was relatively simple. Not in that she was stupid, she definitely wasn’t. But things were a little easier to handle. She wasn’t afraid of her opinions or sharing them, and more often than not, what you saw was what you got. She liked punching things, hot women, and the Mighty Nein. She could be a bit of an asshole, but she was trying not to be one so much if she didn’t have to. It was almost relaxing, knowing that she could almost always be counted on to just be Beau, no matter the situation. 

 

Which made it even more distressing when things with Beau  _ weren’t _ simple and easy. 

 

“I swear to every single god in this universe if you try and talk to me about people dying I will end you.” She said as Fjord slid a seat up next to her. 

 

They’d found themselves in a light, airy bar, with large windows in the front that were thrown open to let in the morning sunlight and breeze. It certainly wasn’t a normal time to be drinking, but Fjord had long stopped trying to apply the word ‘normal’ to his life. That had ended alongside his ship. 

 

He and Beau were sitting up at the bar counter, waiting for the barkeeper to finish serving breakfast to a few other patrons. 

 

“I won’t, I promise.” Fjord said, holding up his arms in a gesture of innocence. “I’d just rather you  _ not  _ run off on your own in an unfamiliar city.” 

 

Beau rolled her eyes, resting her elbow on the table and her chin on her hand. “I’m not an idiot, it’s not like I’ll get lost.”

 

“Obviously.” Fjord said, even though getting lost in a very large city that they’d only visited once before - and they hadn’t even gone to the part of the city they were currently in - was a very real possibility even for non-idiots. “Think of it as being more for my peace of mind.”

 

Beau shot him a suspicious look, before the barkeeper - a scruffy red-headed half-elf woman with a bright blue apron tied around her waist - walked up to them, smiling brightly. 

 

“Good morning! Welcome to the Right Worker, I’m Olona, can I get you some breakfast?” She said cheerfully, whipping out a notepad and pencil.

 

“Just some beer, please.” Beau said, netting herself a raised eyebrow from Olona. 

 

“Rather early to be drinking, isn’t it?” She said, scribbling the order down anyway. 

 

“What can I say, my morning just got pretty shitty.” Beau grumbled, and Fjord winced, before glancing at Olona.

 

“I’ll just have some juice, and some fried eggs if you could.” He said, sliding some coin over the counter. “I’ll pay for her drink.”

 

Olona cast another glance at Beau out the side of her eye before nodding, collecting the coin, handing out change, and bustling to get the food order to the kitchen before returning with drinks. 

 

Beau took a long gulp of her drink as soon as it arrived, and Fjord couldn’t help but wonder how deeply Shakäste’s words had stung. The man was usually so suave it was hard to imagine getting irritated at him at all, but something must have done it for Beau. 

 

Still, he’d promised not to talk about it, and he had a feeling that broaching the subject would be a good way to get a very hard glare, at the very least. 

 

“Now, you are  _ not  _ getting drunk at nine in the morning.” He said instead, giving Beau a hard glare over the lip of his glass of orange juice. “We can go see if we can buy you more throwing stars or something.” 

 

Beau scoffed, but stubbornly refused to explain why she did so for what felt like an extremely long time, taking a very long and slow sip of her drink as she did. 

 

“I don’t need more throwing stars.” She said. “You can’t bribe me.”

 

“First of all, yes I totally could, second of all, fine. No throwing stars. But we’ve still got time to kill, unless you want to track down Shakäste and Caduceus and join up with them again.” 

 

“Pft, no thanks.” Beau said, scowling. “I’ve had enough therapy for today.”

 

Fjord didn’t say anything to that, because he certainly didn’t want to accidentally stray too close to the death discussion Beau had already expressly forbidden. Even if he wouldn’t have minded talking about it a little. He felt a little bit better about it after talking with Jester, Cali and Shakäste while they were still in Solanarose, but… Well, he still wasn’t sure about a lot of things.

 

Of course, Beau had been there too, hadn’t she? And she’d managed to avoid talking about herself and how she was dealing with things there too. Tossing away any inquiries with a shrug of the shoulders and the simple fact that it was over now, so whatever. It was on-brand enough for Beau that Fjord could believe it, but now he wasn’t so sure. 

 

But was now the time to be digging into Beau’s feelings?

 

“We can talk about something else, just name it.” Fjord finally said, thanking Olona as she arrived with his plate of fried eggs.

 

There was a sparkle of mischief in Beau’s eyes, and Fjord knew he’d made a mistake. “You got the hots for anyone?”

 

“Anything but that.”

 

Beau snickered, downing the last of her drink and resting the mug on the counter. She didn’t call Olona over for a refill, which Fjord decided was a good thing. They already had Nott the day drinker, they didn’t need anyone else to start making a habit of it. 

 

“Fine, fine.” Beau said, waving a hand and turning around on her chair so that she was facing the rest of the room. There weren’t too many patrons around at the moment thanks to the odd hour, only some folks getting a late breakfast and a few drunkards who were still trying to hang on to whatever fun they’d been having the previous night. “Gods, what’s some really dumb shit to talk about…”

 

“Favourite colour?” Fjord grinned, and Beau looked at him like she was trying to decide if he was being serious or not. “If it’s blue I’m almost gonna be disappointed.”

 

“Well in that case, it’s orange, and fuck you.” Beau said, jabbing a finger into his shoulder and smirking. “I bet your favourite colour is a really dumb shade of brown.” 

 

Fjord’s grin grew wider, batting away Beau’s hand and holding his own to his chest. “Excuse me, it’s called burnt umber.” 

 

“Oh my god, you’ve never sounded so pretentious.” Beau groaned. “If you keep going I’ll be legally allowed to kill you.”

 

“I’ve never heard about that particular rule.” 

  
“It’s real obscure.”   
  
“Well, now who’s pretentious?” Fjord said, and both of them devolved into even more snickering, trying to keep their conversation down. 

 

Luckily, no one looked at them strangely, minus one particular hulk of a man who seemed to be doing his best to flirt nonverbally with Beau, and Fjord couldn’t quite believe how bold he was, considering any regular person would probably assume he and Beau were a couple - despite how incorrect of an assumption that was - and since it was such a pointless endeavour Fjord almost felt bad for him. Beau hadn’t even noticed him, no matter how much eyebrow wiggling and vague looks he’d been shooting her way. 

 

Also, it was still nine in the freaking morning. Not exactly the best time to be picking up chicks. But based on the small collection of empty glasses around him and dark circles under his eyes that he could spot from across the room, Fjord had a feeling he hadn’t had the best night. 

 

“You’ve got an admirer.” Fjord finally said, nudging Beau in the shoulder and nodding subtly in the direction of the man. 

 

Beau glanced at him, barely able to conceal her grimace long enough to turn away. “Eugh, are you sure he’s not looking at you? I did not make an effort to be attractive to men.” 

 

“Oh, I’m well aware of that.” Fjord said. “I’m fairly certain he’s either still drunk, or extremely hungover.” 

 

“Well, if he comes over here, we’re leaving. I’m not in the mood to be dealing with that kind of nonsense.” Beau grumbled, picking up her mug and looking disappointed upon realising it was still entirely empty. “Maybe I do need a refill.” 

 

Fjord patted her supportively on the back, making an effort to finish his food faster so they could leave sooner. Beau was more or less silent as he shovelled food into his mouth, the slight uptick in her mood almost vanished, and now looking as sour as she had when they’d first walked in there. 

 

He glanced over his shoulder every now and then to check on the man, almost accidentally making eye contact a couple times. He tried shaking his head to let him know that there was no way in any universe he had a single chance (for a variety of reasons), but he didn’t seem to get the message.

 

“Ah, shit, he’s coming over.” Fjord whispered into Beau’s ear, before grabbing one more bite of the eggs and the last swig of his juice, preparing for a quick and smooth exit. Beau audibly groaned and got off her chair, but the man had already made his approach, stumbling ever so slightly as he did. How attractive. 

 

Up close, it was clear the man had had a  _ very  _ bad night. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all, his shoulders slouching and his eyes slightly unfocused. He was muscular and broad-shouldered, an inch shorter than Fjord but making up for it in girth, ruddy skin and rough brown hair with stained clothes and the scent of alcohol on his lips. He had the look of a man who had spent the previous night trying and failing to get laid, had drunk his sorrows away, and was hoping for one last chance. It was almost pitiful, if it weren’t a bit creepy. 

 

“Hey.” He slurred. “Name’s Nil.”

 

“Interesting, the same as your chances.” Beau deadpanned, trying to side-step past him so they could leave. But Nil stepped at the same time, trying to block her path. 

 

“Hey, come on…” 

 

“Not happening.” Beau spoke through gritted teeth, her fists clenching up. 

 

In most cases, she would definitely be able to handle it herself, but Fjord didn’t like the look of this guy. Even the fact that he even tried approaching her at all didn’t bode well. 

 

“Lay off, Nil.” He said, folding his arms and taking a warning step forward. A few other patrons were glancing their way, curious and perhaps surprised at an encounter like this occurring at such an early hour. 

 

The man’s eyes slid to him, unfocused and almost glassy. “Oh- fuck off, you… This is nunya business.” 

 

Beau’s expression was quickly turning murderous, the man continuing to side-step and block her way no matter which way she went. She could have darted past him easily if she really wanted to, but she wasn’t. Fjord might ascribe that to not wanting to make a bigger scene than they’d already made, but Beau rarely cared about making scenes. 

 

“Look, asshole, get out of my way.” Beau straightened herself up as much as possible, looking up at this man with fire in her eyes that set off more than a few alarm bells in Fjord’s head. 

 

The man reached up a hand, making to grab at Beau’s wrist, a leering smile on his face. “Not til  _ I  _ get a-” He wasn’t able to finish whatever pathetic sentence he had in mind, as Beau grabbed at his wrist before he could do the same to her, spinning and wrenching it behind his back quicker than Fjord could blink, and in the space of a single second the situation went from uncomfortable encounter to an altercation, the men letting out a yelp of pain.

 

Which was the last thing they needed right now. 

 

“Alright, Beau, let’s get out of here.” Fjord said, eyeing the man with distaste.

 

“Hey!” Oh for fuck’s sake. 

 

Another man, with tanned skin and black hair but looking just as hungover as Nil, plodded up to them, rage in his eyes at the sight of his friend nearly brought to his knees by one monk holding his arm behind his back. “What’re you doing?”

 

“Your friend couldn’t realise when he’d been rejected.” Fjord spat, resting a hand on Beau’s shoulder and gently trying to nudge her away. “We were just leaving, right Beau?”

 

Beau released Nil’s arm without warning, the man stumbling forward and spinning around, looking absolutely furious. Fjord once again nudged Beau towards the exit, but she stood stiffly, a sly grin spreading on her face and her eyes alight. 

 

Ah shit. 

 

Fjord had almost forgotten that if there was one benefit to getting into a fight, it made it very difficult to think about things like feelings and various emotional issues you don’t want to talk about. 

 

“Beau, this is not a good time.” Fjord took his chances and upgraded from nudging to shoving, not hard enough to knock her to the floor but with the goal of getting her moving. But Beau stood fast, not moving so much as an inch. Freaking monks. 

 

“Fucking bitch!” Nil leapt forwards, hands ready to grab at Beau’s cloak, presumably in a vain attempt to intimidate her. But that was exactly what she’d been waiting for. 

 

With blinding speed, Beau ducked around to the man’s side again, holding her fists up in a defensive position and grinning, daring him to try again. The black-haired man, enraged at his friend being made to look a fool (oblivious to the fact that it was entirely his own fault), took a swing, narrowly brushing past Beau’s shoulders and getting a swift elbow in the ribs for his troubles. 

 

Shit fuck godsdamnit-

 

His goal shifting from de-escalation to making sure Beau didn’t get herself killed, Fjord sent a silent prayer up to any gods who may have been listening before jumping into the fray, grabbing Nil’s wrist and bending it backwards, trying to keep him out of the fight. 

 

“Hey! Break it up!” He heard Olona shouting from behind the bar, heard other patrons beginning to murmur or shout, the sounds of footsteps darting outside of the building. Fjord just grimaced, twisting around Nil’s knee and trying to use the man’s own momentum against him, sending him to the ground. 

 

Beau and the black-haired man exchanged blows with each other, circling around each other, snarling and punching forwards whenever there was so much of a chance of an opening. For every blow they missed there was another that hit, both giving as good as they got. 

 

A harsh blow hit Fjord in the stomach, knocking all the air out of his lungs and sending him stumbling backwards, staggering into the bar counter and wheezing, doubled over. He distantly considered using some magic, knowing that these two would likely be unprepared for anything he had to offer, but he had a distinct feeling it would only end up making things a lot worse than they already were.

 

Curse words, repeating and morphing into new expressions he’d never even through of before flew through his mind at the speed of lightning as Nil now focused all his attention on Fjord, his movements slow and heavy but his punches feeling almost as strong as Yasha’s. 

 

Nil raced forward with a crazed expression on his face, and Fjord dodged out of the way, pushing a barstool in his path and trying to get out of the way, frantically trying to think of a way to end this. 

 

“Look asshole, we can just walk away from this right now.” He said, keeping a healthy distance away and wincing at a dull thud from the other side of the room. Dammit Beau. 

 

“Fuck you!” Nil came stumbling at him with all the grace of a newborn puppy, arms flailing and more beaten up from simply bumping into furniture than anything Fjord had done to him. It was pitiful. 

 

Fjord ducked around another swing, side-stepping behind Nil and kicking him in the back of the knee, knocking him down to the ground. He hit the floor with a loud thud and groaned, not making an immediate movement to get back up. 

 

With the momentary reprieve, Fjord clasped a hand around his stomach and grimaced, looking around for Beau and the black-haired man. 

 

He found them easily enough, tipped over furniture and tables left in their wake, a shattered glass mug littering the floor. The black-haired man had somehow managed to pin Beau to the wall by the neck, keeping her dangling a good foot off the group despite her kicking and flailing wildly, her skin starting to pale and a thin stream of blood dripping from her nose. 

 

Fjord tried to navigate his way around to assist, before Beau managed to nail one solid knee to the man’s ribs, launching herself onto him as soon as he loosened his grip by a fraction. Both of them fell to the ground, all sense of technique and restraint absolutely forgotten.

 

There was a commotion by the entrance to the bar, the clanking of metal and authoritative shouts and the constant cursing in Fjord’s head increased tenfold. 

 

“Stop right there!” Someone shouted, and Fjord didn’t listen, grabbing Beau’s arm and pulling her backwards, the both of them falling in a clump against the wall. Beau’s entire body almost seemed to be vibrating, and in front of them half a dozen guards had stormed into the room, looking extremely upset at the scene. 

 

One of them grabbed at the black-haired man, who just groaned and clutched at his stomach, while two others hauled Nil to their feet. The final three approached Fjord and Beau, stopping a few steps away, ready to pounce if they tried anything.

 

“Seriously, Beau?” Was all Fjord could think to say, and he regretted it immediately.

 

One of the guards stepped forward and grabbed Beau by the arm, pulling her up to her feet and warning her not to try anything. But the adrenaline seemed to have already left her body, leaving nothing but bruises, a probably broken nose, a split lip, and obvious regret. Fjord stood up by himself, barely even noticing the guard who came up besides him - he wasn’t foolish enough to try anything now - because now he could see how Beau’s eyes were shining, the trembling not seeming to stop even a little. 

 

They made eye contact for only a moment, and Beau hung her head, groaning. 

 

“Alright, all of you are coming with us.” One of the guards said gruffly, and Fjord belatedly remembered how Steph had warned them that getting arrested in Trifolia Cove was a very bad thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what, you thought i could go the entire story without having to deal with somebody in jail???? hah. 
> 
> Look it's just been a while since Beau's gotten to punch somebody. (like less than a week but shhhhhh) 
> 
> Side note, I am loving how Beau is going in canon??? I'm so proud of her! I can't wait to see today's episode. 
> 
> But Beau here isn't at the point where Beau in canon is. No "I.... wait." moments here. Yet.


	33. Beauregard's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Beau lands herself in prison for the... third? Fourth time?

Fuck shit damn ass balls shit  _ fuck _ . 

 

It had been a while since Beau had fucked up this badly. The extent of how badly she had fucked up didn’t even reveal itself until they got to the closest jail - because there were  _ multiple  _ in Trifolia Cove, which was insane - and one of the secretaries had given her a double take before making Beau’s already terrible day even worse. They’d had a vague plan up until then, Fjord whispering that they could probably try and go for self-defense. It had been pretty clear to all the witnesses in the bar that Nil was the one who’d started it, even if Beau was the one who made it physical. They could spend a few hours in the drunk tank or whatever, fill out some paperwork, and then Beau could pretend it never happened. 

 

But then that secretary person opened his dumbass mouth.

 

“Hey, isn’t that one of those people Nicodranas sent out a wanted notice for?” 

 

So yeah, she was fucked. And even worse, she’d dragged Fjord along for the ride too. Because her issues just couldn’t stay contained to herself where they belonged. 

 

So rather than going to the drunk tank where Nil and his asshole friend were sent off to, Fjord and Beau got a super special escort up the big tower that the jail apparently consisted of. It was a bit more creative than a regular old dungeon, she supposed, but it wasn’t welcome all the same. 

 

They were both unceremoniously dropped off into a cell, handcuffs that instantly began rubbing the skin off her wrists locked up tight and left to sit there while three different guards sat outside the cell, watching them with a careful eye. 

 

Beau had shuffled up to the back of the cell so she could lean against the wall and promptly set about trying to ignore everything that had led to this moment. After a few minutes, Fjord had sat down next to her, seeming to take some time to figure out what to say. Because he  _ definitely  _ had something to say.

 

“Beau.” Finally, he spoke, exhaling loosely. She didn’t look at him. “Please remember that when I say this, I mean it in the nicest way possible. But what the actual shit?”

 

Beau just tensed her shoulders, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her face on her knees. That certainly was the question, wasn’t it.

 

“You’re obviously working through some shit, but considering we’re now stuck in a cell together, I think a bit of an explanation is warranted.” 

 

Gods, she hated when he made sense. 

 

Too bad she didn’t really have an explanation. Just a long string of bad decisions, as was typical with her life. 

 

“Look, I fucked up, okay?” She finally said, lifting her head up from her knees to rest her elbows on them instead, her hands tense and curled up into fists. Just that action ached, her knuckles sore.

 

“That was a bit more than one fuck up.” Fjord’s voice dropped low, the way it did when he was trying to be serious and,  _ gah,  _ helpful. The same kind of tone Shakäste wielded so well. 

 

Beau hated that tone. She’d heard it far too many times in her life for it to stir anything useful in her now, and it did nothing but piss her off. Punching people? Now that helped her work through things. Or rather, it helped her get all her anger out so that she could pretend the problems no longer existed. 

 

“Yeah, no shit.” She grumbled. “Just-ugh.” 

 

Fjord sighed deeply. “Beau, we had an out. We could have just left. Did you want to start a fight?” 

 

She didn’t answer, which seemed to be answer enough for Fjord. He sighed again, long and exasperated. Beau had heard that very same sigh far too often in her life as well, and it kickstarted her innate desire to never be at fault. Even when she was, and she knew it. 

 

“Hey, I didn’t go in there  _ wanting  _ to fight, but he was getting in my face-I couldn’t just let him-” She frowned deeply, every word just sounding more and more like the shitty excuse it was. “Look, I don’t know, do you want an apology?”

 

“I don’t want an apology, though one would be nice. And warranted. But you told me to check you if you needed it. I think this needs checking. Is it cause of what Shakäste was talking about earlier?” 

 

Wow, he was just determined to keep going with this, wasn’t he? 

 

“I don’t- I guess? In case you didn’t notice, it’s been a bit of a shit time recently in general. For everyone.” Her head was throbbing and she was pretty sure half her insides had been rearranged. 

 

“I’m well aware.” Fjord suddenly sounded sullen, and Beau felt a twinge of guilt. Well, just add it to the pile. “It’s been a shit time for everyone, and shockingly, you’re a part of everyone.”

 

Beau could feel her eyebrow twitch, and she glanced up towards the guards, silently hoping for them to yell at them for talking, or something else equally distracting. But they didn’t seem to care as long as they weren’t trying to punch each other or whatever. 

 

Hmm, now that was an idea. 

 

A really fucking shitty one for multiple reasons that made her want to cringe for even thinking about it, but an idea. 

 

Beau filed that under the ‘absolute last resort’ pile. 

 

“I’m fine.” Beau said, before remembering they were currently stuck in a jail cell. “Mostly fine.” 

 

Fjord just glared at her, a withering look that said all it needed to.

 

Yeah, he wasn’t buying that bullshit. 

 

“You’re allowed to be upset about everything that’s happened, you know.” Fjord said, his face softening into a far more neutral, but firm look. 

 

“What do I have to be upset about?” Beau asked, perfectly aware that she was still bullshitting out of her ass and quite happy to continue doing it, thanks. “I’m not the one who died, or got kidnapped, or has their home dying, or… whatever’s going with Caleb.” 

 

She was pretty sure Caleb hadn’t yet told anyone but her and Nott about his backstory, so she figured it was best not to let on too much. But Caleb was definitely in the ‘had it worse’ section of the Mighty Nein, alongside everyone else. 

 

Except her. Because sure, shitty things had happened to her, but it was different. 

 

“Beau…” Fjord’s voice trailed off, and she did her very best to avoid all eye contact. “Just cause your life may not be  _ as  _ shitty as the rest of us - and that’s very much up for debate - doesn’t mean you have to be fine. You don’t have to be over all the bullshit that we’ve gotten ourselves into straight away.”

 

It was a simple statement, with no room for her to refute it. But she’d do it anyway.

 

“There’s nothing  _ to  _ get over. I was fine. They died, and it sucked, but they’re alive again and we’re all together, so-” She threw her hands upwards, frustrated at how many times she’d had to repeat it. “It’s over!”

 

She only realised after she’d said it that Fjord hadn’t directly mentioned Molly and Nott dying. Yet she’d gone and mentioned it herself. Godsdamnit. 

 

“I’m still not over it.”

 

Beau froze, her eyes nearly flicking over to look at him before she remembered that she was trying  _ not  _ to look at him. “What?” 

 

“I’m still upset about Molly’s death, and Nott’s. I still think there was more I could have done. Molly himself told me there was nothing else I could have done and I shouldn’t blame myself, but a part of me still thinks he’s wrong.” Fjord’s voice wavered ever so slightly, but Beau heard every tiny detail, each syllable pressing into her brain. 

 

“That’s total bullshit!” She finally turned to look at him, fire blazing in her eyes. “You were literally kidnapped when Molly died! What could you have done?”

 

“I don’t know.” Fjord said, a tiny, disbelieving smile on his face. “But part of me still thinks there should be  _ something.  _ Even though it happened months ago, I still find myself thinking about what I could have changed. We got through that with the best case scenario, but I still feel like I failed. Just because a bad thing gets fixed doesn’t mean it can’t still hurt us.” 

 

“I-” Beau felt almost trapped, Fjord’s words blocking her in where she couldn’t escape. 

 

It was different with her. Fjord literally couldn’t have done anything about Molly, but Beau could’ve. She was  _ right  _ there. Not that it fucking mattered, because Molly was back and Lorenzo was dead so she should be  _ fine  _ now. 

 

Except Fjord was now saying that she didn’t have to be. Which was wrong. It had to be. 

 

“No. I-” Her explanations of how everything Fjord had said didn’t apply to her died in her throat, because she didn’t have any. “That-”

 

Fjord shuffled in a little closer to her, not so close that they were touching, but just within her bubble of personal space. Her throat felt dry. This day couldn’t get any worse. 

 

“You’re allowed to be pissed off, or upset, or whatever you’re feeling. But you’ve got to allow yourself to feel those things before you can actually deal with them.” He continued on. 

 

“But... “ Beau’s head was spinning, her entire face ached and she could feel bruises beginning to form seemingly just about everywhere in her body. “I can deal with it. Myself. Alone.”

 

“Yet here we are in a jail cell.” Fjord deadpanned. 

 

Beau felt a retort catch in her throat, because once again, he was right. This was her fault. They were probably going to get dragged off back to Nicodranas to be executed for freeing that stupid ass water djinn, and the others would have no idea. They probably wouldn’t even find out they were missing until they all grouped up as planned at noon back at the Changebringer’s temple. 

 

She groaned, lowering her head into her hands. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to be better-”

 

But not hard enough. Oh, if only her parents could see her now. 

 

“Yeah. You don’t have to be perfect. But you don’t have to try and be better alone.” Fjord said, leaning his head against the brick wall behind them and looking upwards. “I tried it, it doesn’t work.” 

 

“You’ve got actual problems though. I just can’t figure out how to be a decent human being.” Beau pointed her thumb at herself. 

 

“Really?” Fjord seemed genuinely surprised, and Beau frowned. “You’ve been doing alright to me.”

 

Beau squinted, before gesturing vaguely at the cell around them. As if on cue, one of the guards watching them coughed, the three of them having spent their time chatting quietly amongst one another. 

 

“Discounting our current predicament, of course.” Fjord amended. “You’re an asshole, but I don’t think you’re as bad as you imagine. You help Caleb whenever he zones out-”

 

“Yeah, but-” Beau instinctively wanted to argue that yes, she  _ was  _ as much of an asshole as she thought she was, but Fjord wasn’t letting her, continuing to talk like she hadn’t said anything at all.

 

“You’re the first to try and take a hit for any of us-”

 

“Only cause I’m already in the way anyway-”

 

“You came back for us. When Yasha, Jester and I were kidnapped, when Molly was killed, you didn’t run. You, Caleb and Nott banded together, you found help, and you saved us. A real asshole would have left us behind and pretended we never existed.” 

 

Beau’s mouth opened, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. 

 

“You’re a much better person than you think. Still an asshole sometimes, and a bitch at other times, but not as bad as you think.” 

 

There was a short silence, as Beau silently processed all of this. Yeah, she hadn’t run away, but only because… only because there was no way in all the Nine Hells she was going to leave them behind. 

 

She bit her lip, looking away from Fjord again and feeling her hands start to tremble. She wouldn’t cry, she didn’t cry, but that was about as close as she’d get. 

 

“I-” Her voice wavered too, and she was  _ not  _ about to have that, shutting her mouth until she was certain she had herself under control, clenching her fists until they were still and ignoring the pain that flared up from doing so. “Thanks, dude.”

 

“Hey, I can’t sit by and let you fuck yourself over. I care about you too much for that.” He shuffled ever so slightly closer to her, silently asking for permission. 

 

Beau responded by closing the gap, leaning against Fjord and resting her head on his shoulder, stretching her knees out straight and laying her hands in her lap. That was… a lot to think about. She wasn’t about to openly admit she felt better after it… but maybe she did. A little bit. 

 

Perhaps it was even better than punching the daylights out of someone. Sort of. 

 

“So I guess we’re both fucked up then.” She muttered, and Fjord chuckled once. 

 

“Indeed we are.” He said. “But I think admitting it is the first step to not being so fucked up.”

 

“That’s what Shakäste was getting at, huh?” 

 

“Most likely.” Fjord said, before pausing. “He apologised for upsetting you, by the way.”

 

“He did?” Beau fiddled with her thumbs, closing her eyes tight as the throbbing in her head grew louder. Gods, there were some downsides to having barfights as a primary coping mechanism. 

 

“Yeah. Thinks he stepped over a line.”

 

“If there’s any one of us who  _ isn’t  _ fucked up, it’s him. Or Caduceus. I guess I should say sorry for blowing him off? He was probably trying to help or whatever.” Beau said, grimacing. 

 

Fjord made a so-so gesture with his hand, a little more difficult considering the handcuffs. 

 

“It’s up to you. Good intentions or no, you shouldn’t have to answer questions you don’t want to.” He said simply, before pausing. “You know, unless not answering those questions ends up with us in jail.”  

 

Beau just exhaled. She’d have to figure that out later. For now, there was there impending doom approaching. 

 

With a click and a scratching sound, the door to the room opened, and a man in silver polished armour stepped through. The only armour he wasn’t wearing was a helmet, revealing cool, dark skin and a closely shaved head, and piercing eyes that surveyed both of them sitting in the cell with a curious detachment. A pad painted on his shoulder symbolised some kind of rank, though Beau could have guessed that from the way the three guards outside the cell stood at attention. 

 

“Welcome to the party.” Beau called out, sitting up a bit straighter. Emotional revelations or not, sarcasm could always be counted on. 

 

“Indeed.” The man spoke with a crisp accent, one that Beau had heard a few times within Trifolia Cove. “A pleasure to make the acquaintance of two of the people who have wrought such terror upon Nicodranas.”

 

Beau was sorely tempted to complain that it hadn’t been  _ that  _ bad, but that would essentially be a confession, and a confession was probably the only thing that could make things worse for them right at that moment. 

 

“And what kind of terror is that?” Fjord asked, and Beau was slightly thankful that he’d been arrested alongside her, if only because he was far smoother with words.

 

“Oh, it’s quite a list. Destruction of government property, destruction of public property, causing mass panic, vandalism, two counts of murder and one count of suspected kidnapping and murder, forgery, evading arrest, trespassing, breaking and entering… need I go on?” The man recited the crimes from memory, and Beau inwardly cringed at each one. Fjord didn’t look very pleased either. 

 

“I heard Trifolia Cove was a place where people didn’t necessarily have to worry about… past crimes.” Beau said, wincing. 

 

The man nodded in acknowledgment. “We do have a reputation for turning a blind eye to past transgressions, but that comes with a price. We do not tolerate disturbances in our city, and we do not have time to harbor wanted fugitives who do not play by our rules.” 

 

Yikes. Well, they were fucked. Completely, and utterly fucked.

 

“So what do you plan to do with us?” Fjord was frowning deeply, while the man simply shrugged.

 

“That is up for the Captain of the Guard to decide. Most likely, you’ll be sent to Nicodranas to face justice for your crimes, whatever that justice may be. When the Captain has made her decision, I’ll be sure to let you know.” With that, the man spun on his heels and left, the door closing tight behind him. 

 

Fjord and Beau exchanged a glance, one fraught with worry and perhaps the slightest hint of panic. 

 

Fuck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fjord @ Beau: *inhales deeply* BOI 
> 
> Beau thinking she's the biggest asshole on earth as she slowly becomes one of the lesser assholes of the group in one of my favourite things?? Anyway, her character has shifted slightly here to how she is in canon because... ya know... Molly's alive now and whatever, but that part still's the same. I love her so much. 
> 
> Anyway ??? that last episode /??? the new intro ???? I am STILL screaming over that new intro. Also in the last episode everyone is sleeping on how Beau literally got possessed by a damn ghost for a few seconds?? Like, sure it was a few seconds, but she was SHOOK afterwards. 
> 
> also caleb and fjord wot u doin


	34. Deal or Not Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein have to adjust their plans.

It didn’t take them long to realise something was off. They’d gotten suspicious as soon as Shakäste and Caduceus had returned sans Beau and Fjord. When the two clerics had explained why they’d split up, they all started getting concerned. 

 

Then Brylin appeared, having had a morning shift for once, only to tell of a rumour spreading around that two people who had been arrested for a barfight were apparently wanted in Nicodranas for fucking up their water system, alongside a dozen or so other crimes. Word of criminals like that apparently spread through the guards of the city quickly, if only because those doing the arresting liked to brag about it. 

 

It didn’t take long for them to connect the dots after that. 

 

“Yeah, they’re  _ super  _ arrested.” Jester said, looking up at the ceiling with one hand over her ear, even though that didn’t assist with her Sending spell at all. A worried expression flitted over her face. “Also Fjord says they might be sent all the way back to Nicodranas.”

 

“Oh my  _ gods  _ they’re gonna get executed!” Nott shouted out immediately, causing all of them to look around in panic. 

 

“They won’t be executed!” Molly said, even though a tiny part of him was slightly worried they’d get executed. 

 

“They might if they get taken to Nicodranas!” Jester said, wringing her hands together and looking almost distraught. “They want to execute me and all I did was a prank!”

 

“Hey, hold on!” Brylin said, waving her arms to get everyone’s attention. “They won’t get sent to Nicodranas right away. Decisions like that have to be made by the Captain of the Guard, and that takes time.”

 

“How much time?” Caduceus asked, and Brylin blanched.

 

“Well-I’m not sure. I heard there were a couple crises they’re dealing with right now, so maybe until tomorrow?” She folded her arms, looking apologetic. 

 

“That’s plenty of time!” Molly announced, pumping one fist in the air and shooting a particularly winning look in Shakäste’s direction. “We’ll just bust them out!” 

 

“How?” Yasha asked, not at all discouraging the idea, since she was already reaching up a hand to unsheath her greatsword. 

 

“Brylin! You can help!” Jester said, bouncing up and down, already one hundred percent on board. “You’re a guard, right?”

 

“For the past two weeks, yeah, but I’m not exactly an expert.” Brylin said, frowning and folding her arms. She thought carefully, running a hand along her chin. “Although… the northern jail does have a side door that people  _ might  _ be able to sneak in, so the others might have one too…” 

 

“Do we even know which jail they’re in?” Caduceus asked. They were all currently standing in a loose circle, glancing at once another and frowning. 

 

“The eastern one, I’m pretty sure. That’s where I heard they got sent to.” Brylin said. “Prison gossip spreads  _ fast _ .” 

 

“Brilliant, so we sneak into the eastern jail, break out Beau and Fjord, and then we run like hell.” Molly said. 

 

“I have some concerns about the strength of that plan.” Caleb said. 

 

“I have  _ many  _ concerns.” Shakäste said. “This isn’t just one small jail.” 

 

“Brylin could help us sneak in.” Nott said, pointing at the gnome, who looked rather uneasy at the suggestion.

 

“I’d like to, I really would, but then I’d be totally fucked. You know, job-wise and everything.” She said, wincing. 

 

Molly tried to think. It was true, it probably wasn’t entirely fair to ask Brylin to risk her job and place here by helping them bust out their friends, not when she’d barely gotten settled here. The Mighty Nein were only passing through, so they could afford being banned for life, but Brylin couldn’t. 

 

“We can figure out something else. Your information has already been very helpful, and they probably won’t connect anything we do back to you.” Shakäste said.

 

“Unless they realise we were all staying at the same temple she is.” Caleb pointed out, and Brylin paled, obviously having not considered that until now. 

 

“Another reason to not get involved any further.” Shakäste said. “For now, you still have plausible deniability.” 

 

“We could have a distraction, like in Nicodranas.” Caduceus said, nodding at Shakäste and Jester. “That could make it easier for some of us to sneak inside, and could mean less people to deal with once we are inside.”  

 

They spent the next few hours ironing out a plan, utilising Brylin’s experience in her time as a guard so far to figure out the best time to strike. Though there were a few options, such as during a shift change or the middle of the night, they eventually decided on the busiest time of the night, in the late evening where the jails were usually full of drunkards causing scenes that were being locked up to sleep off their intoxication. 

 

There would be people everywhere, but the guards would hopefully be too distracted to pick up on their plan until it was too late. Plus, a bunch of drunk people gave plenty of opportunity to spark some chaos. 

 

They entered the city as a group, using directions to the eastern jail that Brylin drew up for them. The gnome herself was staying behind so that she could continue to claim plausible deniability, wishing them all luck and suggesting that they look in some of the higher floors of the jail, as that was where they apparently kept some of the more higher-value prisoners. 

 

As they got close, they split into two groups. Team Distraction, consisting of Shakäste, Jester and Caleb, as the members of the group with some of the flashiest spells and greatest ability to cause some chaos outside, ducked into a side street, hoping to find a quiet spot where they could watch, and wait for a message from Nott to signal their distractions. Team Jailbreak, with Molly, Yasha, Nott and Caduceus, pushed forwards, following the map towards the jail and circling around, hoping to locate the side door Brylin had been talking about. 

 

The jail itself fit in fairly well with the buildings around it. Built from stone, the first few floors were shaped like a rectangle, with small windows and banners hanging from the roof. But above that the building stretched up into a thinner, almost tower-like structure, still wide enough to fit a few rooms or cells on each floor, but rising above many of the other buildings surrounding it. 

 

On either side of the building were two small alleyways, but after some quick recon by Nott, they found that only one of them had a door that could be constituted as a side entrance. Luckily, it appeared to be unguarded. 

 

“Any news from Jester?” Molly asked Nott, as the group loitered around outside a bar, leaning against the walls and pretending like they belonged there. Everyone who had a disguise spell was wearing one, with Molly borrowing Steph’s cloak (raided from her wardrobe by Brylin) and a very large hat to cover his head, while Yasha had been given Fjord’s cloak (raided from his pack by Caleb) and a bandana to wear. 

 

They weren’t perfect disguises, but hopefully they would be enough. 

 

“Have you talked to Beau and Fjord?” Nott whispered into her piece of wire. The group waited patiently, despite all of them being jittery from nerves. Nott’s ears (currently in her favourite halfling disguise) twitched and she blinked, before glancing up. 

 

“Caleb says that Jester says that Fjord says they were definitely taken up a few floors.” She reported. “And they’re totally down to do a jailbreak.” 

 

“Perfect.” Molly rubbed his hands together, grinning. “Let’s do this.” 

 

Nott nodded, an unsteady smile spreading across her face as she readied her wire to send out another message. Caduceus and Yasha both looked quite serious, ready to burst into action at a moments notice. None of them were willing to make a mistake. There was no way in hell they were gonna let some asshole guards send off their friends back to Nicodranas. 

 

“Okay, mission ‘save Fjord and Beau’s asses from getting executed’ is a go!” Nott whispered into her wire, and all of them glanced about the streets around them, having a fair idea of what would happen next but not quite certain of where or when. 

 

Still, keeping a close eye out, they began to move as one, leisurely walking in the general direction of the jail while pretending to be enjoying the night out. There was a steady stream of people going in and outside of the jail, mostly guards bringing in drunkards from the various nearby bars. Molly had counted at least thirteen in the past forty five minutes alone, which he hoped was a good sign. 

 

He heard a dull crack from further down the street and automatically swivelled his head to have a look, sensing that Team Distraction had gotten underway. The first crack was quickly followed by three more, shouts of surprise and shock filling the air as thin streams of smoke filtered into the sky above.

 

Ah, those exploding beans. So many uses. 

 

Some of the shouts of alarm morphed into shrieks of panic, and as soon as one person panicked, it began to spread through the evening crowd like wildfire, even though all Molly felt was anticipation. 

 

They watched as some guards left the building immediately, headed towards the sounds of disturbance. Were they technically committing an act of domestic terrorism? Perhaps. But they’d all agreed to make an effort to not hurt anyone, especially ordinary civilians, so it wasn’t that bad. Best case scenario, some guards would have some bruises and wounded egos, and some civilians would have had a slightly scary night. Worst case scenario… eh, Molly decided not to think about that. 

 

He picked up the pace, the others matching him step for step. They heard sounds like firecrackers off in the distance, and a muffled clap of thunder that sent another wave of panic. People were beginning to rush their way, further aiding their cautious approach of the jail as more guards left the building to try and sort out what was going on. 

 

As they neared the side alleyway that led to the side entrance, they jogged past the guards, praying that none of them looked their way as they ducked into the alleyway. Nott darted ahead, feeling about the door for any traps before testing it for a lock. 

 

After a few moments of fiddling there was a light click, and all of them glanced among each other. There was definitely no going back after they opened the door, not that any of them were thinking of backing down anyway. Molly hovered his hands over his scimitars, ready to swing them out at moments notice as Nott slowly opened the door. 

 

There was no one immediately inside the door, which seemed to lead into a small break room of sorts. Shelves with bags were on one side of the wall, with a round table and chairs scattered around them, as if whoever had been in there last left in a hurry, presumably to check out Team Distraction’s handiwork.  

 

Great. Step one, enter jail had been completed successfully. Step two was ‘find Beau and Fjord’, but how to accomplish that was unclear. Luckily, they were very good at improvising. 

 

The small break room had another door that led further into the door, left ajar by whoever had been last to use it. The four of them rushed through it, Nott in front, Yasha behind, then Caduceus, with Molly bringing up the rear. 

 

Things went well, for about thirty seconds. Then they walked right into what must have been the main lobby of the building. There was a positive about this.

 

Namely, they could see a large set of stairs that went upwards, which was where they wanted to go. 

 

However, the lobby was also filled with a large number of guards and drunkards awaiting processing, since Trifolia Cove was absolutely obsessed with paperwork. All of whom were now looking directly at them. 

 

The four of them froze, looking very obviously like a bunch of people trying to break in. 

 

So Molly did what he did best. Cause a scene.

 

“JAILBREAK!” He screeched, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some exploding beans Jester had given him, throwing them directly into the air.

 

They struck the ceiling and exploded immediately, not quite powerful enough to blow a whole in the concrete, but enough to send plaster and pieces of rubble falling down upon them, and enough to disorient everyone long enough for Team Jailbreak to make a break for the stairs, and for a few particularly enterprising drunkards who didn’t fancy a night in a cold, hard cell, to take up the call. 

 

“JAILBREAK!” The cry echoed throughout the lobby as guards suddenly found themselves dealing with two dozen rioters who had had far too much alcohol in a very short amount of time, as Molly shoved the others ahead of him as quickly as they could, cursing with every step and praying not too many guards followed them. 

 

“Someone get them!” Of course things couldn’t be too easy, the sounds of metal boots pounding on the stairs behind them, as they threw open every door they came across, shoving unsuspecting guards out of the way and down the stairs, Molly dropping the last few exploding beans he had down in an attempt to slow down or halt their pursuers. 

 

His heart was pounding in his chest, both from the exertion of sprinting up stairs and the general exhilaration of the chase. Yasha broke down another door, revealing an empty cell. Up another flight they went. 

 

Break down another door. Just some randos. Another flight of stairs. 

 

Hey, this doors unlocked! But it’s empty. Another flight of stairs. 

 

Break down another door. Empty.

 

Gods, hadn’t Fjord said they’d only been taken up a  _ few  _ floors?

 

Molly heard shouting and thuds from somewhere above them and spat out a curse under his breath, figuring that Nott or Yasha ahead had run into some trouble. He drew his scimitars, looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t about to be pounced on from behind, before pushing forward to see what he could do. 

 

Instead, he found Yasha fully ripping a door off its hinges, Nott holding tight onto her shoulder and whooping, before both of them stepped aside, and Fjord and Beau raced out, both looking bruised and beaten with handcuffs around their wrists, but reasonably healthy and extremely not-executed. 

 

A knot of tension released inside of him and Molly breathed a sigh of relief, walking up to the two as Yasha tried to snap off the handcuffs, having to focus her concentration. She only managed to snap some of the links off, giving them both the freedom to use their arms properly but leaving the actual cuffs still attached to their wrists. Still, they could fix that easy later.

 

“Nice to see you’re not dead.” He said brightly. Beau looked far more beaten up than Fjord, noticeably favouring her left leg and with blood smeared across the lower half of her face where it had run from her nose. 

 

“Nice to see you didn’t kill yourself getting here.” Beau snarked, flashing him a shaky smile.   
  


Caduceus silently stepped forward to offer his assistance, kneeling down to deal with Beau’s leg, which was probably the smartest option since they were most definitely still running on a time limit. 

 

“How’d you get out of your cell?” Nott asked, looking into the room to where two guards were lying groaning on the ground.

 

“One of the guards left to see what was up outside, and Beau kicked the door out.” Fjord said, shaking his hands and stretching his arms. 

 

“What can I say, I’m just that badass.” Beau said, smirking for a few moments before it shifted into a wince as Caduceus stood up. “Really fucking hurt though.” 

 

“Well, that’s step two complete.” Molly said brightly. “Time for step three!”

 

“Which is?” Fjord asked, one eyebrow raised like he already knew the answer and was afraid to hear it. 

 

“Run like hell!” Molly announced, before promptly beginning to run down the stairs. 

 

Yasha scooped up Beau under her arm and promptly matched pace behind him with Nott still hanging onto her shoulders, Fjord and Caduceus not far behind. 

 

Whenever a guard showed up to meet them Molly would slash forward with his scimitars, Nott barraging them with crossbow bolts until they lost balance, either falling backward down the stairs or diving to the side, where all of them were sure to give them a quick stomp on the ribs or other body parts to encourage them not to try and stop them again. 

 

It didn’t work perfectly, and more than one guard got a half-decent hit on him or one of the others. But traveling downwards meant they had the very useful advantage of height, which was enough to get them all the way down to the lobby with few delays. 

 

They arrived to even more chaos, as the guards continued to struggle to contain the rioting drunkards, one of whom seemed to have managed to unlock a cell that contained a bunch of others who had already been processed, leading to them swiftly outnumbering the number of guards there to try and stop them. 

 

It was the kind of blissful anarchy that Molly loved, and all in all he considered this a very successful jailbreak. They weaved their way through the crowd to get outside, going for the main entrance this time rather than the side one, ducking and dodging around people, giddy grins on their faces and freedom in sight, more or less. 

 

So of course as soon as they set outside, what seemed like an entire platoon of guards was arriving, probably having been called over from other jails or sections of the city. 

 

They saw Molly and the others run out of the jail, two people with snapped handcuffs in tow and absolutely madness occurring behind them. 

 

And they promptly pointed their spears and swords at all of them. 

 

“Oh  _ shit _ .” Nott said, which kind of said it all really. 

 

Some of the guards began to part, allowing a tall figure clad in full silver armour to approach, a long blue feather poking out the side of their helmet and ornate pads decorating their shoulders. 

 

The figure walked up to them, a sword still sheathed at their side, stopping about five feet in front of them. 

 

“So this is the group that has been causing trouble throughout the entire Menagerie Coast?” The voice was slightly feminine, with a hint of amusement.

 

“Would you believe us if we said no?” Beau asked, her cheeks red and honestly looking slightly woozy from the whole ordeal. 

 

“No. No I would not.” The figure lifted up their hands and took off their helmet, revealing a woman with soft, tanned skin, and reddish-brown hair braided up in a crown. “But would you believe me if I said I had a deal?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I make a multi-chaptered DnD story that doesn't involve a jailbreak you can probably assume I've been killed and replaced by an alien. They're just so fun. 
> 
> Anyway, if you wondering how Beau kicked down a damn metal cell door, I figured she just used a shit ton of ki. Like, all of it. And it probably broke her leg at the same time. There may not be a mechanic for it in the game but I think it's on-brand enough for monks.


	35. A Godsdamned Bitch Of An Unsatisfactory Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein consider the merits of jumping out a window.

Well this was a thing, wasn’t it.

 

“Uhhhhhh-” For a moment all six of them glanced at one another, simultaneously stunned by the very odd announcement. 

 

In the end, it was Yasha of all people who recovered first. 

 

“What kind of deal?” She asked, her greatsword - which she had mostly used to break down doors and hit people using the flat side of it - gripped firmly in her hands. Beau had been released so that she could stand, shakily, but ready to fight if need be. 

 

The woman, who must have been the Captain of the Guard that Brylin had been talking about, took another step forward, her arms folded. 

 

“A deal that won’t result in unnecessary bloodshed or any more panic.” She said, gesturing vaguely around them. Even beyond the circle of guards that had surrounded them, a ring of curious citizens that had been brave enough not to disappear as soon as chaos erupted was watching, mouths agape and eyes wide. 

 

“How about some details?” Molly asked, frowning and not letting his guard down for even a second. There was something very, very strange here. 

 

“I’m afraid that the details aren’t something I can discuss in public. But if you-” The woman’s voice cut off as more shouts began to fill the air, and a small group of guards strode up, a restrained Jester, Caleb and Shakäste in tow. All of them had soot on their faces and paint splattered on their clothes, scowling at the guards who were leading them in.

 

“I’ll have you know I am a  _ very  _ impo-” Jester was carrying on without shame, only to suddenly stop as she caught sight of everyone else surrounded by guards. “Oh. Ooooooooooh. Oh no.” 

 

“Fjord, Beau.” Shakäste said mildly, his hands held behind his back by a guard but otherwise seeming quite cooperative. “Nice to see you again.”

 

Fjord nodded and waved awkwardly, while Beau just wheezed out a nervous chuckle, her eyes firmly glued on the Captain in front of them, leaning on Yasha while trying very hard to look like she wasn’t.

 

Said Captain cleared her throat. “As I was saying, if you follow me back to my office,  _ willingly _ , we can discuss this deal in greater detail.” 

 

“Why would we ever do that?” Caleb called out, frowning. Everyone else in the Mighty Nein tensed up, ready for a fight to break out at any moment, and prepared to do what it took to win it. 

 

The Captain just sighed, shaking her head ever so slightly. 

 

“Because your other options are to be arrested immediately and sent to Nicodranas for trial, of which you will most likely be found guilty on all counts and executed the following day, or we can put you to trial right here for the chaos you’ve caused tonight.” A sly smile crossed her face. “I, however, am willing to offer you safety. If you do something for me.”

 

Everyone exchanged glances, but the choice wasn’t exactly difficult. Almost certain death, or take up the woman on her mysterious deal? 

 

“Sounds great!” Molly announced. “Let’s go!” 

 

“Wise choice.” The Captain bowed her head, before promptly turning on her heel and beginning to walk away. “Follow me. And think twice if you have any reckless ideas.” 

 

Since all of them were quite attracted to staying alive and not arrested, there wasn’t that much they could do. The guards brought Caleb, Jester and Shakäste over to the rest of the group, and they began shuffling behind the Captain, trying to retain what little dignity they had left. 

 

Guards continued to surround them the entire way, but they kept a few feet distance, so that at the very least, it didn’t feel like they were breathing down their necks. Even if they were all ready to jump at them the instant one of them tried anything. 

 

Molly’s head was swarming with possibilities for what the Captain’s deal could be. There were far too many options, many of them unpleasant, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was a mistake to come in quietly. He did not want to end up in a situation like Brylin, Steph and Fatima had with Aldon and Ransford. 

 

Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Still, if worse came to worse, he had no doubt the others wouldn’t stand for being blackmailed. Fugitive status or no, they weren’t going to do a government’s dirty work if they didn’t want to. Probably. Okay, if it came down to it they probably would, as long as it wasn’t anything  _ bad _ . 

 

Throughout the trip, the three clerics slowly made their way around the group, healing up any injuries while everyone else tried to figure out where things had gone wrong.

 

“By the way, how did you guys get into a bar fight anyway?” Jester asked Beau and Fjord, her hands on her hips as she walked. “Cause that was really stupid.” 

 

Both Fjord and Beau blundered for a few seconds, stumbling over various excuses and eventually just shrugging.    
  


“I think that’s a conversation for another time.” Fjord said, tugging loosely at the handcuffs still around his wrists. 

 

Molly’s curiosity had already been piqued as soon as he’d heard about their predicament, but Fjord was right. By the sounds of things, it was a lot more complicated than it probably appeared, and walking through the streets while on the way to make a deal with the devil probably wasn’t the best time. 

 

Eventually they made their way towards a large, almost compound like building close to the centre of the city. There was a tower rising above it much like the one in the eastern jail, but wider, and with far more elaborate banners waving in the warm evening breeze. 

 

The group as a whole hesitated at the front door, aware that this was probably their last chance to make a break for it. But they didn’t have much of a choice. Getting into a fight with all of these guards was a strict last resort only. 

 

The Captain led them up some stairs, up higher and higher into the tower until they could see past the walls of Trifolia Cove if they looked out the windows. Molly was more or less in the front of the group, with Yasha and Caduceus beside him and everyone else in a loose formation behind him. 

 

“If you would.” The Captain opened a door which revealed a modestly-sized office, one with a long mahogany desk and three less nice-looking wooden chairs sitting in front of it. 

 

Cautiously, Molly walked inside, taking note of some certificates and certifications that were framed on the walls, lists of accomplishments and statistics on how many threats this woman had vaniquised in her time as Captain of the Guard. There were stacks of papers on her desk, some crisp and clean and others crumpled and messy, crude and hasty messages of trouble and danger. 

 

He didn’t sit down on one of the chairs, instead walking to the far side of the room and standing with his arms folded. 

 

Everyone else slowly filtered in, many of them leaning against the wall as far away from the desk as they could get, with only Shakäste actually taking a seat in one of the chairs. They all narrowed their eyes as they looked around the room, everyone trying to figure out what sort of angle they should play here.

 

The Captain was the last to enter, closing the door behind her and not even having one of the other guards come in. Either she was supremely confident they wouldn’t try anything, or she was far stupider than she appeared. Molly didn’t trust it.

 

“We’re no longer in public now.” Shakäste said, clearing his throat. “What is your deal?”

 

The Captain didn’t say anything at first, walking around to her side of the desk and slowly sitting down in a large, ornate chair that matched the desk, exhaling and leaning forwards, resting her hands on the desk.

 

“To put it simply, I have an opportunity for you. If you accept, and follow through to all terms without exception, I am willing to personally rip up the paperwork that says any of you were ever here, and Nicodranas will be none the wiser.” 

 

Everyone glanced at each other, frowning. 

 

“As delightful as that sounds, we’d rather know the details of this opportunity before we agree to anything.” Fjord said, taking a small step forward and standing tall. He was a good few inches taller than the Captain, not that she seemed intimidated in the slightest. 

 

“I’d expect nothing less.” She said, picking up one of the crumpled pieces and paper and glancing down at it. “Earlier today, we received word from the Hepatica Islands that a group of their government officials had been kidnapped while visiting Maxim, one of the smallest islands in the group. The kidnappers have asked for a very hefty ransom that includes huge sums of money and various magical artifacts, all of which we are not willing to hand over.”

 

The puzzle was starting to come together for Molly, but there were still a lot of blanks that needed filling. 

 

“So you want us to what, go rescue those people for you?” Caleb asked. “Why not do it yourself?”

 

“Because the kidnappers have somehow managed to hole themselves up in an old military base, left over from the last war the Triad was involved in. It’s primarily a tourist attraction now, but it is difficult to infiltrate. The Hepatica Islands have a very limited military force of their own, and ours is not suited to espionage. Not to mention, the kidnappers threatened to immediately murder the officials if they saw any sign of us approaching to fight them.”

 

The Captain put down the message, smoothing it out with her hands before eyeing each and every one of them in turn. “In short, our hands are tied. We will most likely be unable to infiltrate the base without being caught. However, you might be able to.” 

 

“Right, so you want us to do  _ your _ dirty work?” Beau asked, her injuries healed up by the clerics by now but not yet having cleaned the blood off her, which left her looking a bit like a mess. 

 

“Precisely. We can supply you with tools or weapons if you need any, we’ll give you all the information we have and blueprints to the building, and if you succeed, we are prepared to offer safety within the walls of the Triad - provided you no longer cause any disturbances - as well as a monetary reward.” The Captain said.

 

“If you don’t mind, I think we’d just like to take a minute to discuss this.” Shakäste said, standing up and stepping backwards towards the rest of them. 

 

The Captain nodded, leaning back in her chair with a serious expression on her face.

 

The Mighty Nein huddled together, keeping the voices hushed to try and avoid being overheard. 

 

“Yeah, so this is a godsdamned bitch of an unsatisfactory situation.” Fjord said, starting off the conversation on a lovely high note. 

 

“Do we even have a choice?” Caleb asked. “I don’t fancy our chances fighting our way out of this building. They’ll be ready for us.” 

 

“We could jump out the window.” Nott suggested, not at all looking like she was joking. 

 

“I like that idea.” Beau said, frowning. “Anyone else vote to jump out a window?” 

 

“Not all of us can do parkour.” Molly pointed out. “Also, the window is way too small for all of us to jump out of at once, at least some of us would get caught.” 

 

“Not if you try hard enough.” 

 

“I don’t like the idea of doing a job for the government.” Yasha said. “At least with the Gentlemen he was still a criminal as well. This Captain has no obligation to keep her word.”

 

“You don’t think she’ll betray us even if we do it, will you?” Jester asked, looking nervous, and understandably so. 

 

“It’s a possibility.” Yasha said, a bitter tone in her voice. 

 

“Who’ll take care of Nugget and Sprinkle?” Jester exclaimed, clapping her hands over her cheeks. “Oh no they’re going to miss me so much!” 

 

“I’m sure Steph or Marisol will take good care of them.” Fjord said.

 

“Not that they’re going to have to, because we’re going to go back.” Molly said.

 

“So are we going to do it?” Caduceus asked, looking at them all.

 

Everyone looked around at each other, as if waiting and hoping someone would have an idea that would get them out of this situation entirely. 

 

“I still think we could jump out the window.” Nott said, defeated. 

 

“We can’t jump out the window.” Caleb sighed, though he did look wistfully towards the window.

 

“I guess it’s decided then.” Fjord said, looking pained even as he said it. 

 

They all straightened up and went back to their previous places, folding their arms and doing their best not to look nervous about the deal they were able to agree to. 

 

“We’ll go fight these people for you, abiding by the conditions you stated earlier.” Fjord said, clearing his throat and trying to sound as eloquent as possible. “If we succeed, it’ll be like today never happened. No arrests, no need to get Nicodranas involved. As far as you are concerned, we are all perfectly ordinary travellers with no criminal history to speak of.” 

 

The Captain nodded, one eyebrow raised, as if waiting for them to try and spring something on her. 

 

“You give us everything we need to know to give us the greatest possible advantage in this and the monetary reward you mentioned earlier if we are successful. How much money are we talking about, by the way?” Fjord continued taking a step forward and seeming to gain some confidence. 

 

“That depends on  _ how  _ successful you are. Assuming you eliminate or incapacitate every single kidnapper and rescue each official unharmed or with only minor injuries, we are prepared to offer, say… four thousand gold.” The Captain’s eyes sparkled, and Molly nearly choked on absolutely nothing but air. 

 

There was a very distinct sound of more than one person inhaling very sharply, and one strangled and quickly muffled sound that probably came from Nott. 

 

Good gods, how rich was this place that they could afford to hand out rewards like that to random criminals? 

 

“Do you have any other conditions?” The Captain leaned forward, her voice soft and dangerous. Molly knew they had to tread lightly. They were technically still at the disadvantage here, even if they seemed to require outside services like them. 

 

“If we are successful, we’d obviously like safe passage back here so that we can collect all of our belongings from the temple in the Adjunct, where we’re staying. And then guaranteed safe passage out of the Triad, headed towards Port Damali.” Fjord continued. 

 

The Captain nodded lightly, a curious look crossing her face. “Of course.”

 

Molly cleared his throat, holding up a hand and feeling a little uneasy at what he wanted to ask.

 

“This is great and all, but there’s a lot of ‘ _ if  _ we succeed.’ What if we don’t?” He grimaced as he spoke the question, fairly certain of what the answer might be but hopeful that he was perhaps wrong. 

 

“If you were to fail… I’ll have to decide that if it comes to it. I might be able to forgive a few mistakes or unavoidable mishaps…” The Captain’s voice became almost silky smooth, laden with warnings to avoid failure. “I could even forgive one or two of the kidnappers escaping. But if so much as one of our people are killed or injured beyond recovery, you won’t have to be worried about Nicodranas executing you, because we’ll be doing it first.” 

 

Yikes. That was what Molly had been afraid of. 

 

He laughed nervously, the tension in the room suddenly so sharp it felt like it would break if any of them so much as breathed too loudly. 

 

The Captain unexpectedly began to shuffle through one of the stacks of papers she had on her desk, making nearly all of them flinch at the sudden movement.

 

“Now that we’re all agreed, I’ll give you a brief rundown of what we know. The officials that were kidnapped were three of the four caretakers of Maxim. Stio Strongwood, Tanna Kursk and Rhonen Noshal.” The Captain turned around one of the documents, revealing carefully drawn portraits of two humans and one dwarf, one of the humans appearing to be a man while the other two were more feminine in appearance. “They had been on a regular visit to the island and on their way to visiting one of the coastal villages when their caravan was attacked en route. Their guards were killed and they were dragged into the jungle, all the way to a military base, where a citizen reported seeing them. The fourth caretaker, Usan Daydrifter, managed to escape and ran the rest of the way to the village to safety, before we were able to send assistance to escort him back to Nobili, the central island.”

 

“How many kidnappers were there?” Yasha asked.

 

“Usan reported at least ten, but a lot of them seemed to be grunt mercenaries. There was a robbery reported on Maxim a few days before the kidnapping, which is likely where they got the funds. According to that report, there were three robbers, who we believe to be the ringleaders. A tiefling, a dragonborn, and a human.” 

 

Molly froze, his heart skipping a beat. He could feel Yasha and Caduceus’ eyes dart straight towards him, while everyone else seemed to jolt.

 

“A-a tiefling, dragonborn and a human?” Fjord asked, his voice jolting a bit before he cleared his throat and continued to speak. “Do you have a visual description?”

 

“Yes.” The Captain shuffled through some more files, eventually pulling one out. “Let’s see. The tiefling is a male, estimated mid-to-late twenties, dark red skin and white hair. The dragonborn’s gender is uncertain, copper scales, golden eyes, no horns or tail. The human is male, estimated early-to-mid twenties, fair skin, snake tattoo on neck and face, and dark brown hair. Oh, all three are noted to have many scars, mostly on the arms and chests.”

 

Fuck. Shit fuck ass.

 

Of fucking  _ course _ . 

 

“Oh shit.” Someone said, Molly uncertain of who it was. It didn’t matter, he barely heard it anyway. 

 

The Captain frowned, looking up at them all. “Do you know these people?”

 

They all glanced around at one another, and Molly hoped desperately he didn’t look at stricken as he felt. The universe truly hated him, didn’t it. 

 

“We’ve fought them before.” Shakäste said, his voice very solemn and serious. 

 

“Hmm. Well then, at least you won’t be entirely unprepared.” The Captain said, before continuing to shuffle through her papers.

 

Unprepared. Molly was certain he would always be unprepared to face those assholes again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As if i was gonna have Sly and his fellow assholes teleport to safety without bringing em back to fight again hahaahaha lol


	36. Off To Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein make their deal.

Upon the conclusion of the discussion, the Captain gave them all a document to sign, just to make it official. Each of them signed one by one, the last among them having to squish their names and signatures (fake or real) to fit on the bottom of paper. 

 

As soon as they were finished, the Captain passed over a small file with all the information and details they’d need about the operation. The next thing they knew, they were being escorted back out of the city to the Adjunct, to collect anything they wanted to before they headed out. Apparently there was no time to waste. 

 

They got to the temple close to midnight, a few guards along with them to ensure they didn’t try to cut and run - probably smart, since Molly would have definitely advocated for that if given the chance. 

 

Marisol opened the door when they knocked, rubbing her eyes and dropping her mouth open when she saw the Mighty Nein standing there alongside their guard escorts. 

 

“Uh- what’s going on?” She asked, suddenly looking very worried. 

 

“We’ve been drafted.” Nott said bitterly. Those among them who had been using disguise spells had reverted back to their normal selves close to the end of their discussion with The Captain, who had reacted with a mere raised eyebrow and murmur about that possibly being useful in their mission. 

 

“We hate to trouble you and your family, but could you take care of our carts, horses and pets for a few more days?” Fjord asked. “We’re having to make an unexpected trip.” 

 

Marisol stammered for a few moments, before gulping and nodding. “Oh- that’s no problem. Where are you going?”

 

“The Hepatica Islands.” They entered the temple, headed towards their room to collect any belongings they wanted to take with them. “Turns out there’s a problem the Captain of the Guard wants us to deal with.” 

 

“A great honour.” Molly said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and not caring if the guards were looking. He wasn’t sure how much Brylin had told the others about their plan, since they’d agreed to keep it as much on the downlow as they could, not wanting to get Marisol and her family in trouble. 

 

“Okay-” Marisol hurried after them, not looking tired at all now despite the late hour. “Do you want me to grab anything for you? Some rations, or some supplies-”

 

“You don’t need to do that.” Shakäste said. “You’ve already done enough.” 

 

One of the guards accompanying them cleared his throat, speaking gruffly. “Hurry up. We’ve got places to be.” 

 

Molly shot them a dirty look, before turning around and heading to their room. They hadn’t left too much in the rooms, since they’d been more or less prepared to make a hasty exit if necessary after Beau and Fjord’s jailbreak. Most of their unessential equipment (which wasn’t much to begin with) had already been packed onto the cart.

 

When he got to his room Caleb, Nott and Fjord were already there, Shakäste a few steps behind him. Fjord was packing up his fancy bag of holding that he’d retrieved from the Sour Nest, which they mostly used to dump a lot of the parties communal gold into, to act as emergency funds in case they got robbed again. Caleb was packing up some of the books he’d left behind for safe keeping, doing up his scarf and looking not too pleased about this entire situation. Nott, with few personal belongings that she didn’t keep on her person at all times anyway, simply sat on Caleb’s bed, watching him pack with a sour expression on her face. 

 

“I am not looking forward to fighting those cultists again.” Caleb said plainly, the bottom half of his face completely hidden by his scarf.

 

“You and me both.” Molly muttered. He’d been trying not to think about it, but it was inevitable. 

 

He was going to have to face Sly and his cronies again. Which meant they’d probably try to fuck with him again. Godsdamnit. 

 

“At least this time there’s only three of them, and hopefully they won’t be able to teleport away again.” Fjord sounded absolutely exhausted, and Molly didn’t blame him. His and Beau’s handcuffs had finally been removed by the Captain before they left her building, leaving harsh circles of raw and bloodied skin that everyone had tried very hard not to look at until the clerics healed them. 

 

“Except there are also an uncertain number of hired mercenaries assisting them.” Caleb said, his frown only deepening.

 

“Chances are those mercenaries will not be very skillful.” Shakäste said, hefting the staff of thunder and lightning in his hand. Everyone was slightly uneasy around the thing, but they trusted Shakäste wielding it, and it was undoubtedly useful. “I’m certain we will be able to take them down.” 

 

Molly paced around the room, waiting for them all to finish their packing. Why now? Why them? Sly had been wanting immortality, so why had they decided to kidnap officials of a random ass bunch of islands? He wished the Captain had explained what kind of magical items they’d asked for as a ransom, but she had been irritatingly tight-lipped on those particular details. 

 

“Hurry up!” The guards called out from outside the room again, and all five of them inside grimaced.

 

“Fucking assholes.” Nott muttered, sitting cross-legged with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. “You know, we could climb out  _ that  _ window behind us.” 

 

“And that would only cause more chaos down for all of us if we get caught. Not to mention it could get Marisol in trouble, and Brylin, and everyone who’s helped us here.” Fjord said, before sighing and looking longingly at the window. “It would be nice though.” 

 

If only caring about people wasn’t so inconvenient. 

 

Still, they all stomped out of the room towards their imminent doom, joining up with the girls and Caduceus. Marisol was waiting outside with the guards, a few small backpacks slung over her arms. 

 

“I know you said you didn’t need anything, but here are some supplies anyway. There’s lots of rope, food, water, torches, and a few lotions to help with bug bites. But be careful, Aunt Zoie says it’s quite flammable.” She said, passing out a backpack to Molly, Shakäste and Jester. “It’s the least I can do.”

 

“Thanks Marisol.” Molly said, smiling lightly at the girl. She still looked worried, even if she didn’t know all the details, it probably wasn’t good to waltz off on a strange trip in the middle of the night while being escorted by armed guards. 

 

“Off to hell, I guess.” Beau grumbled, in the process of wiping the blood off her face and arms with a damp towel.

 

“Don’t forget to feed Nugget and Sprinkle!” Jester said, taking the weasel - who had been resting safely on Jester’s pillow prior to them returning - from around her neck and passing her over to Marisol. Nugget had been staying in the cart alongside Professor Thaddeus, an arrangement which remarkably hadn’t ended in the death of either animal. Yet. 

 

“I won’t!” Marisol said, straightening up her already good posture and cradling Sprinkle - who was already grouchy from being woken up - as gently as she could. “Uh, what about the owl?”

 

“If he flies away, don’t worry about it.” Molly jumped in before Beau could saying anything, taking the resulting elbow to the ribs with a smirk. 

 

“He eats rats, try not to let him kill the dog, and he can handle himself.” She said, shrugging. 

 

Marisol nodded, promising them she’d do her best to take care of their animals and their cart, before the guards insisted they get moving. The streets were a lot emptier at this early hour of the morning, the night cold enough for just about everyone to put on their cloaks if they hadn’t already been wearing one, hugging them tight against their bodies. 

 

The Captain met them at the docks, where a boat had been hastily prepared to take them to the Hepatica Islands. First they’d go to Nobili, the capital. From there some officials and guards from the Hepatica Islands would meet them, taking them to another boat that would take them to Maxim, and from there guide them close to the military base where the cultists were hiding out. After a certain point, they would be left on their own, the Triad’s government not wanting to tip off the kidnappers. 

 

From then on, it would be up to them to figure out what to do, how they would somehow take down at least seven mercenaries and three blood magic cultists, all while locating three officials and making sure they didn’t die. Considering the Mighty Nein’s track record at keeping  _ themselves _ alive, it was bound to be an… interesting experience. 

 

The Captain stood in front of them, her arms clasped behind her back. “Good luck. Contact us with this Sending scroll when the job is complete, and we will send for people to pick you up. If we don’t hear from you by sunrise in four days time, we will assume the operation has failed and move in.” Her voice turned low and dangerous, her eyes narrowed and sparking with intensity. “If that occurs, you’d best pray that it be because they killed you.” 

 

Well, that was only slightly terrifying, Molly thought to himself. Fjord accepted the scroll another guard handed them, even if they didn’t really need it, since they had Jester. But hey, whatever saved a spell slot.

 

“Cheers.” He said dumbly, before they all began to move past her (leaving a cautious amount of space between them and her) to get onto the boat. 

 

The crew and guards assigned to oversee the journey looked at them with disdain, which they returned with equal fervor and more than a few rude hand gestures. 

 

Supposedly, the trip to Nobili was only going to take just over twenty four hours, meaning they’d arrive in the early hours of the next morning, before most of the citizens were awake. Which worked well, since they were technically on an undercover operation. The fewer people who knew Trifolia Cove was sending people through the Hepatica Islands, the better. 

 

They were shown to a long room set up with cots and hammocks that was declared to be their lodgings for the trip, told not to cause any trouble, and promptly left alone. 

 

“I’d just like to say this sucks ass.” Beau said, climbing onto one of the hammocks but looking not at all pleased about it. 

 

“We  _ know _ .” Nott scuffed at the boards beneath them, her ears twitching. Many of the sailors had seemed very disdainful in particular at having a goblin on board. If Molly could say one nice thing about the Captain, it was that she at least hadn’t commented on some of the more unusual members of their group, if she’d cared at all. These sailors had no such restraint. 

 

“I believe it is because you two got arrested, though, is it not?” Caleb said, looking pointedly at Beau and Fjord, both of whom cringed.

 

“Yeah, I’d like to make a formal apology about that.” Fjord held up a hand. 

 

“Me too.” Beau shuffling onto her side on her hammock, looking very sheepish. “It’s  _ kindaaa  _ more my fault than Fjord’s, soooooo-” 

 

“It was a complicated situation.” Fjord said, and Molly raised one eyebrow. It wasn’t often that Fjord tried to make excuses for anyone's behaviour in particular, but especially Beau. 

 

“How complicated is a bar fight?” Nott asked, and Beau cringed even harder, completely obvious now that Molly was focusing on it. 

 

She continued to grimace, looking back and forth between Fjord and the others, looking very much like she wanted to say something but at the same time wanted desperately to not have to. A relatable feeling, to be sure.

 

Finally, she seemed to decide to just bite the bullet, rolling over onto her back and covering her face with her hands. “I  _ maaaay  _ have been having a little bit of a really shitty time. Like, with feelings and whatever.” 

 

Oh. Okay. That hadn’t quite been expected, and judging from the surprised and blank stares from most of the others, they hadn’t been expecting it either. The only ones who didn’t seem at all surprised were Fjord, Shakäste and Caduceus, the first of which in that group taking a few steps towards Beau and patting her on the shoulder. 

 

“Ooooh, no Beau! That’s not good!” Jester said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

“Because the rest of you are dealing with your own shit? I don’t know, I’m not exactly the best at feelings!”

 

“Alright, I’m calling it.” Molly announced, raising his voice a little to catch everyone’s attention. “We need to sort this shit out.”

 

He sighed. “Beau, would this at all have anything to do with the recent deaths and resurrections of Nott and myself?” 

 

For a few moments Beau didn’t answer, and everyone stared at Molly, eyes wide and a few mouths hanging open. Then Beau slowly nodded, tensing up like the very action drained years off her life. 

 

“Wonderful. Does anyone else have any emotional or psychological issues relating to those particular events, whether they are dealt with or not?” Without hesitation, Molly raised his hand, looking expectantly around him. 

 

Fjord was the first to raise his hand as well, followed swiftly by Nott, Caduceus and Yasha in the space of a few seconds. Shakäste raised up his hand as well, and that actually was a surprise. Jester hesitantly held her hand up, all of them looking around the room with mixed expressions on their face.

 

Beau didn’t raise her hand, but since she’d already admitted to having a problem, she didn’t really need to. But then there was Caleb. For a good ten seconds his arms remained firmly by his side, his face set in a tight frown. 

 

Then he glanced down towards Nott, and whatever look that goblin gave him must have been worth a thousand words, and he slowly, ever so painfully slowly, held up a hand until it hovered about the same height as his face.

 

Molly nodded once, suddenly feeling almost lightheaded. They were all absolute disasters and they all knew that, but for all of them to actually admit so, even non-verbally? 

 

For a moment, he wasn’t actually sure what to do next. 

 

Shakäste, thank the gods for him, swooped in to save the day.

 

“I think we’d best all take a seat.” He said mildly, lowering his hand and sitting down on one of the cots. “It might be a good idea to have a conversation about this.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *singing* if you're traumatized by episode 45 clap your hands! *clap clap* 
> 
> Like oh my gosh. Everything about it was... heart-pounding. I want to scream. I couldn't watch it live because I was meeting with friends, and the LAST episode I didn't watch live was Episode 26 (and we all know how that went) so I was VERY nervous watching the VOD for this because I am a very superstitious person whoops. I mean... it could have been worse...
> 
> But yeah. Episode 45 man.


	37. Group Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which these assholes are gonna talk about their feelings if it's the last thing I do.

“So, uh, who starts?” Jester asked, sitting cross-legged on one of the cots with her hands in her lap, Nott leaning against the wooden wall of the ship next to her.

 

Molly shrugged, even though he was more or less the one who had gotten them into this strange conversation/potential group therapy session. “Beau, I guess? Since she already kinda started talking about it.”

 

Beau finally removed her hands from her face, tilting her head to the side so that she was looking out at the room. 

 

“Ugh… alright.” She said, taking a deep breath. “It sounds super dumb, so if you’re gonna say I’m being stupid you can fuck right off, first of all.” 

 

“I believe that would defeat the purpose of all of us talking about our problems.” Caduceus said, reaching into his bag and subtly bringing out his tea set as everyone else affirmed that they wouldn’t tell anyone they were being stupid, as a simple base rule. 

 

“Right. So… I guess Molly’s death kinda fucked me up? I don’t know, for like a few reasons. First of all, it was insanely rude you just went off and died right in front of me, second of all-” She hesitated, her fists clenching and taking another quick breath before continuing. “I mean- it was right in front of me. It could have been me. It _would_ have been me. But it was you, and then you were dead.” 

 

Molly sat quietly, everyone else listening just as carefully with tense faces and twitching fingers. It sucked to hear about how his death had hurt his friends, but he’d been hearing about it for a while. If this one big conversation was what they needed to finally get it all out in the open and put it to rest, then he was willing to hear about it again a lot. 

 

“So then you were dead and I was like; okay, it sucks, but now I can try and be better in like-I don’t know, in your memory or whatever. Which sounds fucking  _ dumb _ -”

 

“I don’t think it’s dumb.” Molly said, his voice a bit quieter and more tender than he’d expected. “That’s… that’s actually pretty touching.” 

 

Beau paused, and Molly felt the eyes of half the Mighty Nein on him now, but he didn’t really mind. He hadn’t quite considered the possibility of the others trying to do something in his honour, not beyond killing Lorenzo or freeing Jester, Fjord and Yasha. Even if he had, he would’ve thought it from Yasha, or maybe Fjord. Not Beau. 

 

“I… thanks.” Beau’s voice was quiet, and when she continued, it was noticeably softer. “So… yeah, I was doing that. And I still felt shitty, but I figured it would go away eventually. Then we found out you weren’t dead anymore, and we found you again and you were alive… but I still felt shitty. I don’t even know why, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about it, and then Nott died and I just felt worse, but it’s like ‘why do you feel bad? Everything’s fine! You should be fine!’ but I wasn’t.” 

 

She exhaled, a long and slow sigh that seemed to weigh on her. “I guess I was pissed off at myself for still being upset. So then it all just kinda morphed into general anger. That ended up starting a barfight and getting us arrested.” 

 

“I’m afraid I might have contributed to that.” Shakäste said, and Molly glanced at the old man, curious as to what he could have done to set Beau off. Then again, it usually didn’t take much. “I don’t know if Fjord passed on my apology, but I apologise again.” 

 

“It’s fine. You didn’t really do anything  _ wrong _ , and you certainly didn’t make me start a fight.” Beau sounded almost exhausted, curling her knees up in her hammock and letting one of her arms drop over the side, swinging loosely as the boat rocked in the water. 

 

“Even still, I don’t enjoy upsetting my friends.” Shakäste said, coughing lightly. “I admit, I’m used to death… but it has been a while since I have had it happen to people close to me, in front of me. Perhaps I was overzealous in my attempt to make sure you were alright.” 

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve had people besides you guys who cared enough to make sure I was alright.” Beau said quietly, and she and Shakäste shared a glance, the air in the room thick with something Molly couldn’t quite describe.

 

The silence that settled amongst them was suddenly snapped with a spark, and everyone flinched, looking towards Caduceus, who was lighting a match underneath his tea set, looking vaguely sheepish at having made the noise. 

 

“I’ve heard the Hepatica Islands have wonderful tea. So I might as well use up what I have left now.” He said, pulling out a variety of small bags and pouches. 

 

“Dude, I have never met someone as obsessed with tea as you.” Beau said, smiling shakily. 

 

Caduceus gave a small smile of his own. “It reminds me of home. Even if I only have a very small amount of actual tea from there left, it’s familiar.” 

 

“Oh, crap, did I cross a line? I’m sorry-”

 

“No, it’s alright.” Caduceus said, waving a hand loosely and looking back down at his tea set. “I might as well take my turn now.”

 

He cleared his throat, looking upwards and seeming to put careful consideration into what he was going to say, sitting up straight from his spot on the ground, close by to the door. 

 

“Travelling with all of you has been the most terrifying time of my life. Without question. Hands down.” He said. 

 

Oof. He really wasn’t holding back. Molly winced, all of the others exchanging guilty looks. They certainly hadn’t been doing very well staying out of danger.

 

“I have never been more afraid of the water, and there is not a single moment in which I reconsidered whether leaving my home had been a good idea. For a while, I believe I stayed simply because there is a possibility you would all be dead otherwise, and it is unclear how you survived for so long with just one cleric. No offense to you, Jester, you’re doing fine.” 

 

“Thanks?”

 

Okay, he  _ really  _ wasn’t holding back. Caduceus took a long, deep breath, automatically checking the teapot and pulling out cups from his back. 

 

“After the incident in Nicodranas, and talking about it with Shakäste and Jester, I’ve thought about what I’m doing here a lot. After Nott’s death, I thought about it again. But I think I’ve figured it out. The Wildmother sent me dreams about my destiny, and I had no idea for sure what they meant. They were strange, and chaotic, and confusing, but despite it all, they were comforting, and I knew that if I followed them, things would eventually be alright. And that’s the same kind of feeling that I get travelling with all of you.” 

 

He smiled loosely, shaking his head and picking up a few of the tea bags. 

 

“You are all odd, messy and have the collective impulse control of my youngest sister, and she once tried to eat a poisonous spider whole.  _ After  _ she’d been told it would make her sick. But at the same time, you manage to make it work. And I find that admirable.” 

 

“Ah, thanks?” Fjord asked, looking almost a little confused. 

 

Caduceus nodded, his smile widening a little and looking back down at his tea set. After about thirty seconds, it became clear that he was finished, leaving the rest of them who had yet to talk to glance among each other, waiting for a volunteer. 

 

Fjord cleared his throat. “I guess I’ll go next. I’ve talked about it a bit with some of y’all, but I might as well repeat it. I felt responsible for Molly’s death, and also Nott’s.” He held up his hands, as if anticipating a pushback that didn’t actually come, everyone sitting quietly and listening. “It’s irrational, and I know that, but as a semi-official leader here, I feel like it’s my duty to make sure everyone is as safe as we can manage, and I failed that.” 

 

He lowered one of his hands, scratching the back of his neck with the other and wincing. 

 

“I know in my head there’s a lot of things that were out of my control, but it still feels like my fault.” He said, sighing. 

 

“None of us blame you for anything that’s happened!” Jester said, everyone else quickly voicing their agreement. “You’re always the one coming up with smart decisions, even if they  _ are  _ really boring sometimes.” 

 

“Thanks, Jes. I’ve been trying to work through it all, but I don’t know if I’ll ever stop blaming myself when things go wrong. But I figure, if I keep trying to make things better, eventually I won’t feel so bad when things go wrong.” Fjord said, leaning against the wall.

 

“You know, it says a lot more about a leader, and a person in general, in how they handle failures than how they handle their successes.” Shakäste said.

 

“Ah- yeah. I guess.” Fjord fell silent for a moment, before chuckling. “You know, this isn’t so bad.”

 

“I’ll go next!” Nott said, her voice surprisingly firm, pushing herself back from the wall so that she was sitting up straight. “Okay, so first of all, I was pretty upset about Molly dying, I guess. I didn’t blame myself or anything, but it was real upsetting. But then we killed Lorenzo and Molly came back and-I don’t know, I guess I thought it was behind me.”

 

She scoffed then, looking down at her hands. “And I could see how everyone was kinda fucked up about it and I was too, but time went on and it all seemed to get… quieter. Everyone got over it, or started hiding it better, or whatever, and it was okay.” She hesitated. “And then  _ I  _ died.” 

 

Everyone winced at that, looking at one another sullenly, staying silent as Nott continued.

 

“And I was totally fine!” She chuckled, lowering her hands down to her lap and tucking them into her cloak. “I didn’t remember anything! It was like I’d never died… except everyone was upset again. And this time it was because of me. That wasn't fine.”

 

Molly leaned up against the wall, already rethinking every action, every word, every thought he’d had since he reunited with the Mighty Nein, and even before that. They were all so independent (albeit to varying degrees), yet they’d all managed to affect each other so much, in so many different ways. 

 

It was shocking how much self-loathing and doubt could fit into one group of nine assholes (or rather, seven assholes and also Caduceus and Shakäste), he thought to himself. 

 

“And it sucked seeing everyone upset, and I didn’t know how to fix it, and I’m still not sure how to fix it, because it doesn’t seem fair at all.” Nott sighed dramatically. “Whoever decided to make all these things happen to us is a bitch.” 

 

“Hear, hear!” Fjord called out, and everyone else took up the cry, chuckling and snickering as it died down. 

 

“Okay, my turn!” Jester called out, waving one hand in the air until everyone was looking at her. 

 

She took a deep breath, her hands fiddling with bracelets and bangles on her wrist, biting her lip before she finally properly began.

 

“Okay- so right now I feel a bit better than I used to. But Molly’s death was really upsetting. It sucked  _ balls _ . Mostly because I knew that if I had been there- if I hadn’t been kidnapped, if we were all together, it would have been fine. Molly might’ve never died in the first place and even if he did, I would’ve… been there. I would’ve been able to fix it, the way I’m supposed to.”

 

She looked away, smiling uneasily. “I mean, I was  _ The  _ Cleric back then. Not one of the clerics, The Cleric. And it was kinda stressful, because all of you are really dumb sometimes. Even Fjord. Sometimes. And it was my job to fix it, and I wasn’t there.” 

 

Then she looked towards Shakäste and Caduceus, her smiling becoming a little more genuine. “So, I was actually really happy to have Caduceus there. I didn’t have to be The Cleric, and then Molly came back and Shakäste was there and I thought that surely we’d be totally fine, right?”

 

She began to laugh, an infectious giggle that got nearly everyone else to chuckle or at least crack a smile because boy, what an inaccurate assessment that turned out to be. 

 

“Yeah, right.” Jester said, shaking her head. “So that was obviously wrong. But still, I figured it would at least be better.”

 

She glanced towards Nott and the goblin deflated slightly, sensing, or perhaps expecting, another emotional bomb to drop. 

 

“Then Nott died, but this time I was there. I was right there, and even if I couldn’t stop it from happening, I could fix it. And it worked. And that made me feel a bit better about… everything. Like, we can make all the stupid fun decisions we want, and even if it kills us, I can still bring us back.” Jester looked upwards, a very serious expression on her face. “But it’s really hard, so like, stop doing it!"

 

Everyone burst into chuckles again, and Molly grinned. Trust Jester to make them laugh while simultaneously telling them not to die.

 

It took a few moments for them to get over it, and already the mood seemed to be lighter. Everyone who had already spoken seemed simultaneously exhausted and a few years younger. 

 

Yasha cleared her throat once things were quiet again, drawing every eye to her. When she spoke, she was solemn and grave, each word carrying a somber gravitas.

 

“Both deaths were shitty. I don’t want them to happen again. But if they do, I will always kill those responsible.” She paused, seeming to consider something. “I am very good at that.”

 

It was short, sweet, and so very Yasha. Just about everyone smiled, and Molly, sitting next to Yasha against the wall, patted her on the shoulder.

 

“There’s no one else I’d rather have kill my murderer.” Beau said lightly, grinning. 

 

Molly looked towards Caleb, very aware that they were the only two who were left to talk. He hoped to go last, something about it felt dramatically appropriate since his death was a good marking point for the start of this entire mess. Also, there was a lot he wanted to talk about. 

 

But Caleb stayed just as silent, half his face hidden by his scarf and sitting on a cot with his legs on the ground, frowning lightly. 

 

“Caleb? Do you want to say anything?” Nott asked, a little hesitantly. “You don’t have to if you  _ really  _ don’t want to.”

 

“We don’t want to force anyone here.” Fjord agreed.

 

“It was upsetting.” Caleb said, his voice a little muffled and quiet enough that Molly nearly missed it. “Both deaths were upsetting.” 

 

Everyone was quiet, waiting to see if he would say anything else. He dragged out the pauses long enough that all of them wondered whether he was finished talking or not, but none of them quite willing to ask, just in case they ruined the moment. 

 

“I… there are a lot of not-so-great things that have happened in my life. And I did not want the same things to cause problems for you.”

 

He looked around, carefully avoiding eye contact with every single one of them, instead focusing on small spots on the walls, hanging pieces of threads from the hammocks. Molly was slightly confused but kept listening. 

 

“But Molly died. And Nott died. And I do not want anyone else to die. Because I care for you.” An odd look crossed his face and he seemed to bury his face even further within his scarf, seeming to regret every word, at least a little bit.  

 

A short silence descended upon the room, everyone seeming to realise that it was perhaps the first time Caleb had admitted as much out loud. Not all of them had, at least not in those words, but they all found their own ways to show it. But Caleb had always seemed to try to hold himself at arm's length, with only Nott really being allowed to bridge the gap, so this was something. 

 

Gods, they should have done this way sooner. Perhaps then they wouldn’t be in their current situation.

 

Oh well, the past was the past. And thinking of the past… 

 

“I guess that leaves me.” Molly said, chuckling. “Suffice to say, I didn’t remember my death either. At first. I didn’t remember much at all.”

 

It had been a long time since he’d thought about those first few days after his resurrection. Well, that was slightly inaccurate. He thought about it a lot, but it had been a long time since he’d done it in any great detail. Since he’d thought about the emotions surrounding those days, remembered the thoughts that had run through his head. 

 

“It was hard. Really hard. I had your note, and I had Shakäste and I had some of my memories, and I got more back as time went on but… in a way, it was harder to wake up with incomplete memories that slowly returned, than to wake up with no memories at all and to never regain them.” He sighed. “It was frustrating, it was… it was a lot. I’m glad I got over most of it by the time I found you guys again.”

 

After hearing everyone’s thoughts, their own personal struggles in the wake of Molly’s death, he was more glad than ever to have gotten over most of his own demons while it had still just been him and Shakäste. If he hadn’t, who knew how the others might have felt to see him hurting as well. 

 

“And it still sucks a bit. I still don’t have all my memories back and that’s even more frustrating. There’s so many things that took me so long to figure out that are just gone again. So many annoying little details that I don’t even notice until everyone knows what we’re talking about but me. And there’s nothing I can really do about it except wait and hope for those memories to come back.”

 

He locked eyes with Shakäste, the man’s actual eyes, not looking through Stacy. They were a pure, solid white, but somehow Molly thought he could see just as much depth as he could in Yasha’s eyes, or Jester’s, or Caleb’s. Shakäste had helped him through so much, and he would always be thankful for that.

 

As if reading his mind - sometimes Molly wondered if he knew an actual mind reading spell and had just decided not to tell anyone - Shakäste smiled, bowing his head ever so slightly. Yasha pressed a hand to Molly’s shoulders, rubbing comforting circles on his coat. 

 

“So yeah, that’s a thing. And time went on and I was feeling a bit better about things. I could handle it. Then those fucking cultists happened.” A hint of bitterness seeped into his voice. Well, time to jump off the cliff. “Nott, your death was fucked, and it pissed me off. But there was something else that happened in that temple.”

 

Nearly everyone leaned in closer, confusion clear on their faces. Yasha just continued to rub circles into his shoulder, while Caduceus silently began to hand out cups of steaming tea to everyone, passing it along from person to person. 

 

“The tiefling, the same fucking one we’re headed to fight now, knew who I was. Or rather, he knew Lucien.” Molly’s voice felt harsh, every word rolling off his tongue with venom entrenched in each syllable, anger rising in his stomach. “Every time I think I manage to get away from him, he just comes back, and I’m getting sick and tired of it.”

 

“Oh shit.” Nott said, rather handily summing it up for all of them. 

 

“It’s just fucking ridiculous at this point. Lucien is dead and gone, but his ghost insists on following me around, instead of rotting for eternity in the Nine Hells where he belongs.” He had no idea where souls went if they belongs to a shitty person, but he hoped it was somewhere bad. Somewhere very, very bad. 

 

At this point, he was basically ranting, but he figured he deserved a good rant at this point. 

 

“Not to mention Sly, that’s the tieflings name by the way, the prick, - is a dramatic fucking asshole. Going on and  _ on  _ about immortality and whatever nonsense. At least the dragonborn had the decency to just try and kill me and get it over with.” Molly accepted a cup of tea, taking a long sip and not even caring about how it burnt his entire mouth. “Gods, he’s going to be unbearable if he sees me again.” 

 

“Don’t worry, I will make sure to kill him this time.” Yasha said darkly, patting the hilt of her greatsword. 

 

“Yeah! We’ll kill him and all of his friends and then there’ll be no one left!” Jester said, jumping up and nearly spilling half her tea. “They won’t know what hit em!” 

 

“Fuck saving those officials, let’s just murder these assholes and be done with it.” Beau said.

 

“I agree with all of this, but we do need to also save those officials so we don’t end up murdered too.” Fjord pointed out.

 

“If we murder the cultists, the officials kind of get saved anyway, don’t they?” Caduceus said, seeming satisfied that everyone had a cup of tea. 

 

“Fuck up the cultists!” Nott shouted out, with no concern for anyone who may have been close by in the ship. 

 

Molly couldn’t help but laugh, as everyone else solemnly or enthusiastically took up the cry. 

 

“Fuck up the cultists!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I find amusing: Shakäste considering asking a few slightly pointed questions to be overzealous.  
> Caduceus, a very chill dude, having no chill about how fucked up this whole experience has been for him lmao. 
> 
> Jester: You're all really stupid  
> Everyone Else: Fair. 
> 
> The Gang: FUCK UP THE CULTISTS  
> Random Sailor Passing By The Room: what the fuck
> 
> Molly, one of if not the most dramatic member of the M9: Sly is super dramatic it's so fucking annoying
> 
> Jester: U know I prefer not to kill people  
> Also Jester: We're gonna kill all those cultists so hard!!! (The difference is she will happily kill things that have hurt her friends) 
> 
> Anyway I love this chapter. These assholes need some therapy, and I figured the only way they were gonna do it was in an enclosed space while they have nothing else to do to distract themselves and the others. Otherwise you know they woulda just deflected harder than me in a dodgeball game holding one of the dodgeballs as my only protection.
> 
> ALSO: OMG THIS CHAPTER GOT ME PAST 100K AahhHHHHHHH


	38. Vague Corruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein sail through the Hepatica Islands.

The rest of the day was filled with tea and laughter and lots of ideas on how to fuck up the cultists the hardest. They didn’t quite have solutions to some of their problems, but it was out in the open, and that seemed to make it a bit better somehow, even if it was just a little bit. 

 

As it turned out, travelling on a ship actually got pretty boring after the first couple of hours, much to Molly’s disappointment. There was only so much of the ship that they were technically allowed to see, and Nott was the only one sneaky enough to get past it and manage to get back without being caught. So for the rest of them, there was little to do but talk or look out at the endless ocean, watching as the Menagerie Coast drew further away, or looking up at the clouds as they went by. 

 

They began to see one of the first islands in the Hepatica Islands just as evening began to fall, which a sailor who wasn’t as hesitant to interact with them explained as being Nica, one of the bigger islands in the group and also one of the most lavish, known for big hotels and chateaus for tourists to stay and enjoy the best and prettiest parts of the Islands. Unfortunately they wouldn’t be stopping there, sailing straight past towards Nobili, the largest and most central of the islands, and also where most of the population lived and government business occurred. 

 

By the time they finally arrived, pulling into a secluded port slightly out of the way of where the majority of the island’s citizens lived to avoid too many people seeing them, it was the dead of night. Torchlights lit up the ship and the dock, casting heavy orange glows on everyone and leaving shadows dancing wherever they looked. 

 

A group of people, dressed in relatively light-looking cloaks, decorated in patterns weaved into the fabric, met them there. The air was quite humid despite the terrible hour, hot enough that everyone felt comfortable without wearing their own cloaks. 

 

“You are the people who will help us?” One of the Hepaticans stepped forward, a human woman with dark skin and dreadlocks in her hair, bright orange beads weaved throughout that sparkled in the torchlight. 

 

“Ah, yes.” Fjord said, stepping in front of the group. “We’re the Mighty Nein.”

 

The woman didn’t seem to have listened beyond the word ‘yes’, nodding and turning around, beckoning them to follow. The Trifolian guards gave them all a suspicious look before reboarding their boat. 

 

Another chance to run if they really wanted to. The Hepaticans had weapons, of course they did, but they had their backs to them. They could easily overpower them and bolt. But even besides the threat of being hunted down and shipped off to Nicodranas to be executed, Molly didn’t quite feel like running away anymore. They’d all decided to fuck up those cultists, and fuck them up they would. 

 

The Hepaticans led them through overgrown paths through a jungle, not saying a single word, just looking over their shoulders to make sure they were keeping up. It was another hour or two of walking, the Mighty Nein sharing glances and muttering about what was to come. They had tried to figure out a very basic plan while on the boat, but wanted to wait until they actually got there and had a chance to recon the place to nail down any specifics.

 

Not that it would probably matter once they put their plan into action, but hey, it was the thought that counts. 

 

Eventually they found their way to another dock, this one just as secluded as the rest, with a boat waiting for them. Finally, the woman who had first spoken to them turned around again, locking them all with a hard glare.

 

“We were told that you are capable of many things. Do not let us down.” She said, before stepping aside to allow them access to the boat.

 

Molly was intensely curious as to  _ what  _ exactly they were told. Sure, taking down the water system of an entire city-state was a mighty feat, but had the Hepaticans been informed of their current criminal status? Perhaps not. 

 

“No worries.” Beau said. “We’ve fought a lot of kidnappers in our time.”

 

“And they’re all dead now.” Nott said ominously, as they all began to walk towards the boat.

 

The woman nodded. “Good.” 

 

Once on board, they were shown to another barracks-like room, this one with all hammocks rather than a mix of hammocks and cots. There was a small table set up in the middle, with pillows circled around it to act as seats, a large pot of steaming stew carefully balanced on the table with a pile of bowls.

 

“We’ll get to Maxim by about midday.” The captain of the ship said. “I’d suggest you eat and sleep before we get there.”

 

“Noted.” Molly said brightly, saluting the captain.

 

“Is it just me or is everyone really chill about having a bunch of random criminals on this mission?” Nott asked once they settled down, everyone pouring themselves out some stew, which was surprisingly tasty, and they’d eaten Caduceus’ cooking. 

 

“I think the Hepaticans might not even  _ know  _ we’re criminals.” Caleb said. “They certainly do not seem worried about our loyalties, and it is their officials we are going after.”

 

“Eh, it’s not that uncommon to hire out people for undercover missions.” Fjord said, blowing on his bowl. “Guards are all good for riots and things, but it’s way easier to hire up some mercenaries that you can disavow and leave behind if things go wrong, rather than train up your own spies or whatever.”

 

“Ah, the sweet smell of lowkey corruption.” Beau smirked. 

 

Fjord made a so-so gesture. “I guess it’s  _ vaguely  _ corruption, but it’s all technically legal.”

 

“As soon as you have to say the word ‘technically’, I think corruption becomes a given.” Shakäste said. “Although I can understand the reasoning in this case.” 

 

“Who even cares, as long as we can ditch this place once we’re done.” Nott said, scowling.

 

“I rather like it. The temple at least is rather nice.” Caduceus said, for once not bringing out his tea set. They had sadly not been allowed to make a stop to buy more tea in Nobili (it had been the middle of the night anyway, and also they were on an important mission or whatever), so his stocks were beginning to run low again. 

 

“I would like to come back, I think! You know, since if we win, the government says they won’t arrest us.” Jester said. “We wouldn’t even have to use disguises or anything.”

 

“Unless we do something else they don’t like. Which is like, everything fun.” Beau said, scoffing. 

 

“Yeah, and the government would also have to keep their word.” Molly pointed out. “Which, like previously stated, is not a guarantee.” 

 

“We can figure all that out once we actually win.” Fjord said. “For now, let’s just focus on doing that.”

 

Everyone nodded in agreement, focusing their attention on their stew, which really didn’t have any business tasting as nice as it did, considering it had been made on a ship. 

 

One by one, they peeled off to go to sleep, everyone having only caught naps or snatches of sleep on the previous boat trip, getting used to the rocking of the boat on the waves. Beau was one of the first, finally crashing after everything that had happened to her - getting arrested was surprisingly tiring. 

 

After her it was like they dropped like flies. Caduceus, Shakäste, Yasha, Nott, Caleb, Jester. Fjord was one of the last to fall asleep, the only one who had gotten more than half an hour of sleep on the trip from Trifolia Cove to Nobili thanks to his prior experience on boats. 

 

Then there was Molly. He clambered into a hammock shortly after Nott had gone to bed, fully intending to sleep and wake up to the sound of one of the sailors banging on the door yelling at them that they were there. 

 

But try as he might, no matter how he tossed and turned, his eyes refused to stay shut, his mind refusing to still. There were just too many thoughts, the knowledge of what they were going to do,  _ who  _ they were going to fight, bubbling in his brain like a pot of boiling water. Just churning and shifting until they would inevitably explode.

 

It was insane. A part of him still didn’t want to face Sly again, just wanted to take over the boat, turn it around and sail it off into the ocean where that tiefling and his friends would  _ definitely  _ never be able to find him. 

 

But this was different. Every single other time, with Cree, in the abandoned temple, he hadn’t been expecting it. It had caught him off guard, just when he’d thought he was safe.

 

But this time he wasn’t just waiting around for Lucien’s past to pop up again. He was going towards it himself, with the eight people he cared about most right by his side, every single one of them aware of how important this was.

 

He wasn’t going to back down, he wasn’t going to run. He was taking the fight to Lucien and he was going to end it once and for all. 

 

Or, if not for all, for now. There was no guarantee there weren’t others out there, assholes who still wielded Lucien’s name like a friend who they’d lost, and not a prick who no longer existed. But he’d be able to handle that when they appeared. 

 

But this time, Sly would be the one who wouldn’t see it coming. 

 

That was what kept Molly awake. A tingling sensation spreading from his fingers throughout his entire body, the thrill of pure anticipation, the knowledge that something very important was going to happen soon, and he was going to be at the nexus of it. 

 

He lay awake in the hammock, eyes open and tail shifting restlessly, hanging just off the side of the hammock. 

 

The sounds of the others’ breathing, slow and deep and calm, was relaxing. Molly knew that he’d fight to the ends of the universe for them, and he hoped they’d do the same for him. He knew they would. They’d been through far too much together not to by now, even the ones who hadn’t been there from the start. 

 

In a way, just knowing that was more comforting and refreshing than half a days rest would ever be. 

 

The hours seemed to pass quickly, and perhaps Molly did drift off to sleep, perhaps not, but all the same by the time there was a bang on the door, yelling for them to wake up, he felt like he’d woken up from the longest sleep he’d ever taken. The silence inside the barrack was broken immediately, the space filled with bumps of heads hitting ceilings and curses of being woken up in the middle of a pleasant dream, and curses of simply being woken up at all. 

 

“Are we here?” Someone asked as they bundled out of the room, everyone double-checking to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind, backpacks, haversacks and bags of holding fille up with everything they had brought with them.

 

“Ye sure are.” The sailor who’d pounded on their door said, hurrying them up to the deck.

 

The midday sun hit them full-force as soon as they opened the door, temporarily blinding them and forcing them to shield their eyes with their hands.

 

They’d pulled in to a dock of what seemed to be a small village, the wood old and perhaps in need of some repairs, the houses beyond simple but decorated with carvings, statues and plants, large patterned cloths stretched out between houses to provide shade on the streets. 

 

The captain met them on deck, arms folded. “Alright. Tonner here will show you to the back of the village. The military base is just behind that hill. What you do next is up to you. Don’t fuck it up.” 

 

The Mighty Nein exchanged glances, before nodding. 

 

A young man stepped up, introducing himself as Tonner, a local to the island who had been one of the witnesses to the robbery Sly and the others had committed prior to the kidnapping. They all walked off the boat, a few of them waving a mock goodbye to the boat as it left. 

 

“Have you been in lots of fights?” Tonner asked them as they walked through the village, everyone looking out suspiciously for a sign of the cultists. Just in case.

 

Tonner seemed almost a little giddy and very nervous, like he couldn’t quite believe he was caught up in something like this, and very desperately didn’t want to screw up his part, even if it was just guiding them to the back of the village. 

 

“Oh yes, many.” Molly said casually. 

 

“We are very good at fighting.” Caleb added.

 

“Woah.” Tonner’s eyes were wide. “Have you ever rescued people from kidnappers before?”

 

They all exchanged a look with one another, a few of them shrugging. It counted if they were rescuing their own people, didn’t it? 

 

“Yup. It was easy.” Jester said, flashing a grin and winking at the others. 

 

Molly rolled his eyes, patting Jester on the hand while a few scattered snickers rippled throughout the group.

 

“That’s so cool.” Tonner continued, blissfully unaware. 

 

The village was relatively small, nearly entirely made up of humans, all of whom were very curious about the party travelling through their streets. More than a few curious children took a few steps forward, almost reaching their hands out as they went by, mouths agape at the collection of species they may never have seen before.

 

“You’d think they’d never seen a tiefling before.” Beau muttered, one eyebrow raised. “Or a firbolg. Or a half-orc. Or a goblin.” 

 

“A lot of us haven’t.” Tonner said. “I mean,  _ I  _ have because I go to Nobili all the time with my father, but not a lot of people come to this side of Maxim. It’s mostly just fishing here.”

 

Molly didn’t mind the attention, especially since it was all innocent curiosity, none of the quiet suspicion or open disdain he was used to getting on Wildemount. There was something to be said for living in small towns, though Molly was certain he’d go crazy in days if he ever tried it himself.

 

They approached the end of the village, loose gravel paths taken over by dirt and brush. Only a single, narrow, well-worn path led into the jungle, the only connection the citizens of the village had with other villages on the islands, besides their boats. 

 

“Like the captain said, the old base is behind that hill.” Tonner said, pointing to a tall hill (that could also probably be considered a small mountain) that was fully jungle until about halfway up, before giving way to rocky outcroppings and scraggly bushes. “If I were you, I’d try and sneak in from the top. That’s how me and my friends got in as kids, even though we weren’t supposed to.”

 

“Thank you for the advice, and for the guidance.” Shakäste said.

 

“Yeah, we can handle it from here!” Nott puffed out her chest, trying to look as competent as possible.

 

“Good luck!” Tonner said, smiling brightly, standing there for a few seconds like a lost puppy before scurrying back towards his village. 

 

“Cool. So, should we try and get to the top of the hill by sundown?” Beau asked, squinting in the direction of the hill. The island was small enough and the hill close enough that they could probably make it if they really legged it.

 

“They might have scouts at the top of the hill though.” Molly pointed out. “They did hire mercenaries, and we don’t know if they’re still there or not.” 

 

“If we stay in the jungle, they won’t be able to see us.” Yasha said. “At least, not unless they get really close.”

 

“So we could stay within the jungle until night, and then we do recon?” Caleb asked, glancing around at everyone.

 

“That’s probably the safest bet, I’d say. Any objections?” Fjord looked around, and after no objections were raised, nodded his head. “Alright then. We’d best get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't have much to say about this chapter. It feels kinda surreal, we're in the last little arc of this story now. We're nearly at the end. This bad boy has been taking up most of my mind for the past what, three months? It's crazy. 
> 
> Anyway, for those who are curious, I split this story up into about four mini-arcs.  
> Arc 1: Me Frantically Dealing With Canon (ends with the gang getting out of Nicodranas)  
> Arc 2: Cali joins the party (ends with Nott's death)   
> Arc 3: Dealing with the end of the last arc (Ended around about last chapter)  
> Arc 4: piss off cultists (from now til the end of the story)   
> Fun times.


	39. Stealth Missions Always Go Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Mighty Nein are responsible strategists.

There were some nice things about the jungle. There were lots of pretty flowers and plants around. Yasha seemed pretty pleased by that, based on the number of times Molly had glanced over his shoulder to see her fallen a few steps behind, examining a particularly nice-looking one or even picking a few before catching up with them again. 

 

It was also quite dense, with lots of trees, leaves and plants everywhere, making it difficult for anyone to see them coming. That was also a downside for them as well, but with Nott darting ahead every now and then to make sure the coast was clear, they were confident they wouldn’t accidentally stumble upon anyone unsavoury. 

 

However, it was hot. Very hot, and Molly was a tiefling with a high body heat to begin with, so it was nearly unbearable. He had never been more thankful for Caleb’s hut spell, with it’s consistent weather and temperature and ability to stop bugs from getting in. 

 

They set up the hut as close to the treeline of the hill as they dared, everyone keeping a lookout just in case someone came by, and they stayed there until the sun began to sink below the horizon, dipping into nighttime and (thankfully) lowering the temperature.

 

They’d agreed to split up into two groups (any smaller was deemed to be asking for trouble) to cover as much ground as possible, trying to balance fighting power and support as much as possible. Molly found himself in a group with Nott, Yasha, Caduceus and Jester as the group who would get as close to the base as possible, if not outright go into it. Beau, Shakäste, Caleb and Fjord agreed to stay outside to provide backup with necessary and do more of a perimeter sweep, much to the disappointment of Beau, who had obviously been hoping to be one of the first ones in the fight, despite the fact that they weren’t looking for one that night. 

 

Cloaks donned and stealth spells doled out, Molly’s group headed out first, intending to circle up and around the hill towards a back entrance that had been marked on their blueprint. Their only real goal was to find out where the cultists and hostages were, if mercenaries were still around, and decide if it would be advantageous to pick a fight that night. If yes, they’d group back up with the others and go for it. If no, they’d group back up anyway and fall back to make a proper plan.

 

Molly sincerely doubted they’d end up falling back, but everyone agreed to it anyway for formality’s sake. Always nice to pretend like they were responsible strategists. 

 

It was, in Molly’s opinion, far easier travelling through the jungle at night. Most of them had night vision of some sort anyway, so the only one they had to worry about was Caduceus, who was given Beau’s night-vision goggles just in case they needed to fight. Caleb had his stone and would be able to throw up lights if his group got in trouble, so Beau had just shrugged and said she’d deal with being blind for a while.

 

It was a lot cooler, though still far warmer than nights had been in the Empire. Still, it was far more manageable than the daytime.

 

They snuck around through the brush and then over the rocks, Nott in front as usual with Yasha and Caduceus behind and Molly bringing up the rear alongside Jester. Their darkvision petered out after sixty feet or so, leaving them all a bit on edge, squinting at shadows and jolting at every rustled branch. Once they left the treeline and found themselves among rocky outcroppings, Molly felt even more exposed, even though none of them could see anyone else around at all. Even the rest of the Mighty Nein had vanished along their own route, though every now and then Nott would whisper into her wire, getting confirmation they were still close enough to be in range. Jester had her sending spells, but they wanted to limit themselves to cantrips as much as possible.

 

Just in case. 

 

As they rounded the hill, a large, rectangular shadow rose up in front of them, an inky black shadow against the starry backdrop of the night sky. The stars were very pretty tonight, and Molly took a moment to enjoy them. Always nice to enjoy the little things. 

 

Ahead of them, Nott pulled to a stop as they got closer to the building, everyone else stopping behind her just before they crashed into one another. Molly and Jester looked at each other before looking around, narrowing their eyes at the murky grey, but seeing nothing. 

 

Silently, Nott pointed upwards, jabbing her finger insistently towards the top of the old army base. Everyone followed her gaze (except Caduceus, whose goggles only gave him so much vision, enough that he could barely see that Nott was pointing at all, much less what she was pointing  _ at _ ) to a small window, cobblestone cracked around it, with a softly glowing light coming from inside. 

 

Oooooh, there were so many things that could be. The cultists, the hostages, some other poor soul who had visited the building and gotten lost, forcing them to stay overnight. A trap, a mistake, an invitation.

 

But it was a sign that someone was there. Someone awake enough to light a candle or torch. 

 

Molly could feel his heartbeat start to quicken, the familiar rush that came with every simple mission shortly before it turned into a full on misadventure. 

 

“Caleb-Caleb we see a light in the window.” Nott was whispering into her wire, ears flicking as she listened to the invisible reply. “No- we won’t, obviously.”

 

She tucked the wire away, looking over her shoulder. “They say not to go right towards it.” She said.

 

“Well duh.” Jester said, holding a hand over her mouth to try and keep her voice low. 

 

“Can we figure out which room it is?” Yasha asked. “We might be able to figure out a good way to get close.”

 

Everyone looked up towards the light again, trying to count out floors and windows. But all the other windows were either blocked off, closed up, or empty, living very little but the shape of the building itself to go on. 

 

“I think it’s… maybe second from the top?” Molly said, tilting his head towards the side and trying to measure out distances with his fingers. “We could go in through the roof, like Tonner suggested.”

 

Nott relayed the suggestion to Caleb and the others, since they’d agreed not to enter the building unless it was decided upon more or less together.

 

“They reckon it’s a good idea.” Nott said, giving them a thumbs up. “They also said not to be stupid.” 

 

Molly was certain he could feel all five of them simultaneously roll their eyes. As if they needed to be reminded of that. Sure, Jester and Nott had nearly gotten caught doing stupid things multiple times. And so had Molly. Yasha was… okay, maybe not quite  _ responsible  _ so much as that she was just never the ringleader for any stupid plans, even if she did go along with them. Caduceus though, he was responsible. Mostly. 

 

“Okay, let’s go.” Nott said, pulling the hood of her cloak even lower over her face and beginning to move forwards again, the rest of them following as quickly as they could without making noise. 

 

According to the reports given to them by the Captain in Trifolia Cove, the kidnappers had taken over the base by entering through the main, front entrance. So hopefully, they wouldn’t actually know about the rarely used entrance on the roof. Which should give them an unguarded passage into the building, and an easy exit. 

 

They climbed further up the hill, going diagonally towards the building. As they got closer they became even more cautious than they had been before, eyes darting everywhere and constantly looking over shoulders. 

 

The first time Nott laid a hand on the walls of the base, the stones cracked and weathered with age, everyone seemed to hold their breath, as if waiting for a hundred traps to be sprung. But nothing happened, and slowly they kept moving forward, keeping a hard grip on their weapons if they had them and hands ready for spells if they didn’t. 

 

Using the wall as a guide, they kept climbing upwards until they reached the roof, everyone taking care not to trip as best they could. Molly gave Jester a boost the final hurdle onto the roof, taking her hand and allowing her to haul him up as well, getting both of his scimitars back at the ready as soon as he straightened up. 

 

They looked around briefling to ensure they were still alone, updating Caleb and the others on their progress. After they entered the building, the updates would be few and far between, the group not willing to risk being overheard. 

 

“Here.” Jester whispered, pointing out a trap door made out of cracked and rotting wood. 

 

Nott darted over, running her hands over the wood before gingerly lifting it up just a crack, everyone else gathered around at a safe distance. Nott peeked inside before lifting the door up further, sticking her whole head in and looking around. 

 

“Looks clear.” She said, popping her head out again before gently opening the trap door fully, dropping down inside without making a single sound. 

 

Yasha was the next one down, landing with a light thud, but still shockingly quiet for how tall and large she was. Jester dropped down third, stumbling a little on the way but managing to grab Yasha’s waist before she fell any further. The two women plus Molly helped Caduceus down, the firbolg silently accepting the help even if he probably didn’t need it.

 

Molly grabbed hold of the trapdoor with one hand, using the other to brace himself as he dropped down, closing the door as he went. 

 

There was a creak as the trapdoor shut, all of them wincing at the sound echoing down the old, dusty corridors. 

 

Still, there was nothing to be done for it, looking down the hallways. The air seemed to whisper in his ears, with no light from outside even his nightvision struggled, leaving him barely able to see more than twenty feet in front of him. If Caduceus hadn’t had Beau’s goggles (which only barely fit to begin with, sitting a little wonky on his face) he would’ve been completely blind, and as it was his vision was probably worse than Molly’s.

 

After reorienting themselves so they knew which direction they were going, Caduceus pulled out the blueprints of the building they’d been given, assigned the role of navigator because he was kept to the middle of the group, and the goggles managed to give him just enough vision to read the map, but not enough to be useful for much else at the moment.

 

“There should be a door that leads to stairs down this hallway.” Caduceus whispered, pointing down the specified hallway.

 

They began to go down it, peeking into every room as they passed. They could barely open each door more than a crack, lest they risk them making creaking sounds that sounded far louder than they probably actually were.

 

With each door they revealed nothing, no enemy lying in wait, nothing but dust and broken tables and rusting equipment, and Molly felt his nerves shoot up, taking all his energy to keep his hands steady. They reached the stairs, and Molly could have sworn he saw a shadow moving, a tiny sliver of light that vanished as quickly as he saw it. But he continued to press forward.

 

Nott once again took the lead, delicately absconding down the stairs in short bursts, pausing before darting forwards again like a hummingbird in flight. A very large, green hummingbird that smelt of alcohol. 

 

She looked around the corner of the stairs before darting back so quickly it was hard to believe she’d had time to see anything at all, scurrying back up towards. 

 

“I saw where the light’s coming from.” Her voice was raspier than usual from the constant whispering, cupping her hands over her mouth to better muffle the sound from possible prying ears. “It’s a torch in the hallway.”

 

“Did you see anyone?” Molly asked, and Nott shook her head. It didn’t need to be said that they would have to be careful anyway. 

 

Silently, they all continued down the stairs, stepping down on the next floor to nothing.

 

The corridor was indeed lit up by a single torch, half burnt out and sending scattering embers to the floor.

 

A crackling sound echoed, pounding in Molly’s ears in time with his own breathing. 

 

They did the same thing as they had done on the top floor, checking each room one by one. Nott would open the doors and look in, Yasha taking a few steps in once she declared the all clear to make sure while the others kept watch of the hallway, before moving on to the next one. 

 

Open, look in, check, close. 

 

They got halfway down the corridor, right up to a door opposite the lone torch, before something changed the pattern.

 

Nott peeked in before jolting, jerking her head out of the doorway and closing it tight, spinning around and looking up at them all with wide eyes. “There’s someone in there.”

 

“Who?” 

 

Nott shrugged helplessly, shuffling out of the way as Yasha took her place. The barbarian rolled her shoulders, holding the Magician’s Judge tight in her hands and squaring herself directly in front of the door. Behind her, Molly silently brought his scimitars along his chest, feeling the rush of energy as ice began to coat the blades, Nott pulling out a dagger and Jester and Caduceus readying their hands, prepared to cast a spell at any moment.

 

Nott reached over to open the door again, pushing it inwards and ducking to the side, allowing Yasha to move through, everyone else following behind. 

 

The room inside was nearly pitch black until the torch light streamed in, a window at the far side boarded up by splintered wood, thin, almost invisible streams of moonlight making tiny dots of lights on the floor. 

 

In the centre of the room sat a woman, bound by rope and a gag tied around her mouth, frizzy blonde hair almost orange in the light and wide eyes shining with tears. 

 

For a moment, the woman just stared at them, before she began to sob, her cries muffled by the gag.

 

“Oh shit-” Nott said, still holding her dagger up but not quite as tense as she had been. “Shh!” 

 

Molly lowered his scimitars, walking around the room, making sure there was absolutely no one else hiding inside. Yasha remained by the door, watching the corridor closely, while Jester and Caduceus stepped towards the woman, whispering reassurances. 

 

“Okay, okay, we’re here to help, but you have to be really,  _ really  _ quiet, alright?” Jester was saying, while Caduceus slowly undid the ropes that were tied around the woman. There was a sharp snapping sound as he loosened the final knot, one that made them all flinch.

 

She nodded frantically, and Jester pulled the gag out of her mouth, the woman taking in great gulps of air. Molly continued to look around, peeking through one of the gaps in the window. Something was wrong. 

 

“T-thank you.” She said, choking out the first few syllables in a normal volume before lowering it, looking terrified. 

 

“What’s your name?” Jester asked. “Are you one of the caretaker people?”

 

“I’m Rhonen Noshal.” The woman nodded. “Those-those people who kidnapped me, they tied me up and left me here, I think they went downstairs, Stio and Tanna are still with them.”

 

“We’ll help them too.” Caduceus said, his slow, even voice seeming to go a great way to helping the woman calm down. “First we’ll get you out of here.” 

 

“Why would they leave her here?” Molly wondered aloud, causing everyone to look up at them. Rhonen’s face was pale, still choking back sobs and rubbing her wrists. 

 

“I don’t know. They just said if I tried to leave they’d kill me. They’d find me and kill me.” She said, wiping her eyes as Jester helped her stand up.

 

“I don’t like this…” Nott said uneasily, pulling out her wire.

 

“We need to get her out of here.” Jester said, one arm around Rhonen’s shoulders. 

 

Molly wasn’t looking at Yasha, but he could almost feel her tense up, the very energy in the room seeming to freeze. She was looking out towards the hallway, and after a few moments Molly could hear what she heard. Footsteps, soft but quickly growing louder. 

 

Nothing needed to be said, everyone simultaneously realising they’d been made in the space of a second, all sharing a stricken, panicked look. 

 

“Oh no-” Rhonen said, her shoulders beginning to shake. 

 

“Let’s go.” Yasha stepped into the corridor, her greatsword held up. 

 

“ _ Fuck-  _ Caleb- Caleb, we found one of the people but they know we’re here-” Nott darted past them all, whispering through her wire as she ran. The rest of them all followed suit, running back towards the stairs that would take them to the roof. “No- we’re going back to the roof-”

 

“We can drop her off and then go back.” Molly said, glancing over his shoulder to see Yasha grabbing the torch and throwing it against the wall, splintering the wood with a crack and stomping on the embers that remained. In a matter of seconds, they were plunged back into near complete darkness. 

 

Nott kept talking, her conversation stopping and starting. “Yeah-we’ll meet you there. Probably - No, they  _ definitely  _ know - No-” 

 

They scrambled up the stairs, the journey so much quicker now that they weren’t worried about stealth. Caduceus was the only one who could reach the trap door, punching it open with one hand. With Jester’s assistance they more or less punted Rhonen up through the hole to relative safety, the woman shrieking before managing to stifle the sound. 

 

“How far are the others?” Yasha asked from somewhere behind Molly, her breaths short and quick. 

 

“Close, they might be a few minutes, they want to meet with us on the roof.” Nott said, scrambled halfway up Caduceus and ready to leap up onto the roof. 

 

“Do we have time to wait?” Molly asked, reactivating his scimitars again in preparation for the imminent fight. This was what he’d been waiting for. “If we leave, we might get completely shut out. This trap door is a chokepoint.” 

 

The five of them looked at one another, footsteps pounding up the staircases ringing in their ears, approaching shouts throbbing in their heads. It was the kind of split-second decision that tended to go either very right or very wrong for them, and the difference between the two was impossible to tell until they were there. 

 

A few minutes until reinforcements arrived to yell at them about making stupid decisions. 

 

A few minutes was enough. 

 

He spun around on his heel, scimitars glowing in the dark with their magical energy. They were here now, they might as well stay. The others followed suit, Jester’s sparkling translucent lollipop appearing out of nothing and casting a pale glow across the corridor. 

 

There was a glowing from the staircase, a crackling energy setting all the hairs on the back of his neck alight. About half a dozen grunt mercenaries appeared, pausing at the top of the staircase when they saw the five of them, illuminated from behind by a spiritual weapon, casting long, shifting shadows over them. A human pushed his way to the front, shouting questions about why they’d stopped. 

 

He no longer wielded twin hand-axes, having traded one of them for a slender shortsword, which Molly noted was pristine and clean. The red headband around his head was stark against the drab tones of the rest of the room, the scars on his body seeming to glow to Molly’s eyes, one of them on his chest bleeding sluggishly. The one hand-axe he still held crackled with lightning, the mercenaries around his nearly pushing each other to stay away.

 

The cultist stopped in his tracks when he saw them, confusion morphing into recognition.

 

“You!” He pointed at Molly, before his eyes fell on Nott and he began pointing at her, seeming confused. “You-you’re-”

 

Molly rolled his eyes, already guessing the words before they came out of his mouth. “Yes, we were both dead. But we’re back now, thanks to some lovely friends and some brilliant magic.”

 

He grinned, a sinister pleasure settling into his gut. Finally. “A pity you won’t get the same opportunity.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fight fight fight fight fight fight fight
> 
> EDIT: lmao Caduceus did a 'raise ur hand if you think this is your fault' in episode 46 and like ??? i called that. im still shook about that lmao


	40. Semantics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a fight occurs.

Yasha had been in front of him, though slightly to the side. So, as much as Molly would have loved to leap into battle, ready to cut down his enemies with a victorious cry, it wasn’t actually possible without also slicing his best friend to bits. And also probably hitting the roof as he did it.

 

So instead he settled for racing around her, dodging under the swing of her greatsword and running forwards, ready to meet the first mercenary who was stupid enough to think he had a chance. 

 

A man rushed forward, a bandana around the bottom half of his mouth and wielding a mace. Molly dodged under a ridiculously clumsy swing from the man, slicing upwards with both of his scimitars and cutting deep gashes into his elbow, missing the man’s arm guards and tearing right into his flesh.

 

The man let out a pained cry, the mace dropping from his grip and clattering to the floor with a thud, swiftly followed by the man himself, courtesy of a hard kick to the ribs. The man behind him threw himself to the wall to avoid being pulled down with him, the headband-wearing cultist cursing loudly and running forwards, shouting at his men to push on. 

 

Next to him, Yasha cleaved a man nearly in two, shoving forwards and stabbing her greatsword forward, burying itself even deeper in the man she’d already killed and forcing those behind him to jump backwards, some of them clearly reconsidering their current job. 

 

“What the fuck!” One of them called out, covering his head as a spray of crossbow bolts flew over them, Nott aiming a little high to try and avoid her friends, but managing to hit a few of them. 

 

“You’re a fool for coming back here!” The cultist screamed, leaping towards Molly with both his weapons raised above his head, slamming them down onto Molly’s scimitars, which he barely got up in time to block the blows, which would have almost certainly gone right through his head. 

 

He stumbled backwards, gritting his teeth as the man’s weight fell on him, shifting slightly to the side to try and direct some of it away from him. But his knee buckled beneath him, sending them both scrabbling to the ground. 

 

Molly scrambled to get on top of him, but the man pushed his hand-axe upwards, knocking him directly on the nose with the head. A searing pain burned into Molly’s right arm, knocking his own strike wide, just barely managing to nick the man’s cheek rather than bury his scimitar in his neck. 

 

Above them, Jester’s lollipop careened past them, smacking into anyone in its path and dramatically shifting the light around them. Molly could see the cultist’s face in detail, shards of ice forming on his cheek and hatred in his eyes, one that Molly was almost certain he matched.

 

“I think you’re mistaken. You’re an arrogant fool if you think I came here for you and your friends specifically.” Molly said, pressing his scimitar to the man’s throat and pushing down, ignoring the throbbing pain in his other arm. “But once I found out you were here… I’m not leaving until all of you are dead.” 

 

He heard the battle still raging on around him, Yasha wreaking havoc, a few of the mercenaries making a break for the stairs, only to be blocked by Jester’s spiritual weapon, and cut down by Nott’s crossbow bolts. The distinctive buzzing of Caduceus’ swarm of insects blew past him.

 

Yasha took a step forward, blocking Molly both from any potential attacks from a mercenary looking to rescue their doomed leader, and unintentionally blocking them off from the meagre light source that Jester’s lollipop gave them. 

 

Shadows fell upon them, leaving just the glow of Molly’s scimitar, allowing Molly to see the moment when the cultist’s bravado gave way to fear. 

 

In a flash, Molly sliced the man’s throat, bringing his other scimitar down into his heart to ensure a quick death. Not only to make certain that he wouldn’t be coming back to surprise them, but because he wasn’t cruel. Dying was a terrible experience, but a drawn out death was just pointless.

 

He stood up, the wound in his shoulder pulsing with so much pain he thought the sword might’ve been poisoned, even if he’d seen nothing on it. 

 

Breathing heavily, he leaned against the wall, glancing around at the others. Yasha was just finishing up with the last of the mercenaries, about to make a final swing when Jester’s lollipop bashed the man from behind, his head smacking into the wall and falling to the ground, completely still. 

 

“Well that went well.” Nott said, climbing down from Caduceus and walking up to Molly, looking down at the cultist he’d killed and curling up her lip. “You got him?”

 

“Yeah.” Molly said, rubbing at his arm and glancing up at the others. Caduceus made only a brief glance at the body before walking up to his swarm of insects, guiding them back to his staff before beginning to decompose all the other bodies, slowly making his way towards the cultist.

 

They’d bought themselves some time, but Molly wasn’t sure if they’d managed to stop all of the mercenaries from escaping. Even if they hadn’t, there was no way Sly and the dragonborn didn’t know that someone was there to stop them. 

 

“So…” He said, scratching at the back of his neck. “I think we were able to sneak around way longer than last time.”

 

Some of the others snickered, and Jester walked up, looking at Molly with concern, the only one with any real injury. “Is that bad?”

 

Molly waved her off, testing his arm to make sure he could still move, swinging his scimitar loosely a few times. “Nothing but a flesh wound. A bit of a nasty one, but I’ll survive. Save your spells for something worse.” 

 

Jester didn’t need to be told twice, beckoning her spiritual weapon over to herself, before walking back over to the trap door. “Rhonen, are you alright up there?”

 

“Yes! Did you get them?” A still shaky voice filtered out, and Rhonen stuck her head down, looking sickened at the sight before her. “O-oh-”

 

“Yeah, we got em.” Jester said. “Our friends should be coming soon, so like, don’t get scared if they show up.” 

 

“Okay. Should I- should I stay up here?” 

 

“Unless you know the way back to safety through the jungle at night, probably.” Molly said, walking up to the trap door and blocking Rhonen’s view of most of the carnage. “Don’t worry, I’m sure the rest of the kidnappers will be too worried about us to try and get you back.” 

 

There was a rustling sound from outside, followed by a few shouts of alarms. 

 

“Oh, it’s her.” Fjord’s voice came through, and Molly grinned, cupping his hands around his mouth and calling up.

 

“Nice of you to finally arrive!” 

 

“You started fighting without me!” Beau appeared at the opening of the trap door, squinting in the darkness and looking very miffed. “That’s rude.” 

 

She jumped down, misjudging her landing in the darkness and stumbling right into Jester, both of the girls tumbling to the ground. 

 

“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty more to fight, probably.” Jester said. “Molly got one of the cultist people though!”

 

“That’s good to hear.” Shakäste said, waiting patiently for Yasha to walk up to help him down, while Jester and Beau dusted themselves off. “Do we know where the other hostages are?”

 

“Rhonen said they were with the other kidnappers, probably on one of the lower floors.” Molly said, nodding at Shakäste as he walked past. 

 

Fjord and Caleb dropped down quickly enough, everyone catching their breath and comparing what they know. Apparently the group outside had seen torches begin to be lit on some of the lower floors - estimated to be about the fourth or fifth from the top - after Nott had sent Caleb a message saying they’d been caught. 

 

“We’d best get going then.” Fjord said, his falchion already summoned and resting in his hand. “There’s no time to waste.” 

 

“Will Rhonen be alright up there on her own?” Jester asked, glancing towards the trap door. 

 

Everyone shrugged, and Yasha leaned down, picking up the dropped hand-axe from the body of the cultist and holding it up through the trapdoor. There was a small yelp of surprise. “Take this. You can protect yourself.”

 

“Perfect.” Nott said, nodding happily now that the woman had a weapon and all problems were solved. “Let’s get going.” 

 

“We’ll be back soon Rhonen!” Jester called out cheerfully, as the group headed towards the stairs, gingerly (or not so gingerly) stepping over bodies. 

 

“Should I give us some actual light?” Caleb asked, holding up his hands to show they were perfectly capable of magic at the moment. 

 

“Eh, they already know we’re here. We might as well.” Fjord said, walking up to the front of the group with Yasha and Nott. 

 

After a few moments three globules of light manifested above them, hovering lightly and filling the corridor with light. Everyone blinked for a moment, adjusting to the light or removing goggles. 

 

Then they got going, heading down the stairs again with weapons at the ready. They cleared through rooms a lot more quickly now, double-checking the ones they’d already swept just in case someone had decided to try and hide in them, before moving down to the third floor from the top. There was no torch in the hallway like there had been in the floor above, and Molly suspected that having Rhonen there had been some kind of trap, or perhaps a last resort. If they were attacked from the front and lost the first two hostages they could fall back there, and if they were attacked from the top they could be alerted - whether it be from some charm on the rope or something else that let them know - and go attack the intruders. 

 

The third floor was entirely empty, and all of them were careful as they entered the fourth floor, wary that this was where more lights had been seen. The thin corridors here weren’t ideal for fighting, just big enough for two of them to walk side by side, which caused problems for all of the close-ranged fighters among them. Jester, Caduceus, Caleb and Shakäste would be fine as long as their vision wasn’t obscured and their aim wasn’t off, and Fjord would probably be able to manage for a little while, though he’d run out of spells quickly. Nott would be fine as long as she got to a height to shoot off her crossbow, but either Beau, Molly or Yasha would find themselves cut off from the front of the battle where they wouldn’t be able to do anything. Which wasn’t fun at all. 

 

They became restless as they searched the fourth floor, finding absolutely nothing. 

 

“Right, so they’re definitely trying to set up an ambush.” Beau said, her teeth gritting together and her hands held up in front of her, ready to punch  _ something _ . She had reclaimed her goggles from Caduceus, but with Caleb providing light, she didn’t have them over her eyes at the moment.

 

“Oh yeah.”

 

“Definitely.”

 

“Without a doubt.” 

 

“The only question is, which floor is the ambush on?” Fjord said, frowning. 

 

“Only one way to find out.” Molly said, flashing a grin. “We can walk right into it.” 

 

“Ha. That’s hilarious. Not.” Beau rolled her eyes, before doing a double take. “Don’t tell me you’re serious.

 

“If we’re prepared for it, is it really an ambush?” Caduceus wondered aloud.

 

“Well-”

 

“I mean,  _ technically _ -”

 

“We are  _ not  _ arguing about the semantics of ambushes.” Fjord said, raising his voice a little and openly rolling his eyes. “Nor are we going to willingly walk into one.” 

 

Molly shrugged his shoulders, figuring they’d probably end up walking into one anyway. They continued down the corridor, continuing to check every door as they went. Finding the fourth floor to be clear, they shuffled down to the fifth floor, Caleb moving the lights towards the back of the group and dimming them every so slightly to try and avoid tipping off anyone who may be waiting below. 

 

Nott scurried ahead like usual, cracking open a door at the bottom of the staircase. 

 

“Huh.” She said, closing the door again and looking to them. “Well I think we found the big meeting room on the blueprints.” 

 

Everyone blinked, before Caduceus pulled out the blueprints, squinting down at the notes. 

 

“Meeting room. Hmm.” He said. “It is supposed to be here.”

 

“Also, there’s definitely people down there.” Nott said, very casually. 

 

“You couldn’t have led with that?” Caleb asked mildly, but he didn’t sound very upset. 

 

“Hang on, where are they?” Fjord asked, pointing at the schematics. “At the bottom of the meeting room, or on these… balcony things?”

 

Everyone gathered around Caduceus to look at the blueprints. The meeting room, one of the largest rooms in the building and also the most central room in the entire building, was rectangular and very tall, about three floors high. Two thirds of the way up were balconies, connected to the bottom by a very narrow staircase and connected to the top floors by another staircase that the Mighty Nein were currently seated on. 

 

“At the bottom. I saw torch light and things.” Nott said, nodding firmly. 

 

“I’d say it’s a safe bet that’s where the last of our cultists and hostages are.” Fjord said. “Nott, do you think you could get a better look, figure out exactly where everyone is?” 

 

Nott nodded, tightening up some of her bandages that had fallen a little loose and pulling her cloak around her, grabbing the diagram of the meeting room and a small piece of chalk given to her by Caleb. 

 

As Nott opened the door once again to sneak in, Caleb got rid of the dancing lights completely, not wanting to risk the unnatural light being seen. Nott closed the door behind her and they were all forced to wait with bated breath, whispering ideas to one another under hushed breaths and debating possible ideas. 

 

“-look, we can figure it out for sure when Nott gets back.” Shakäste said, just as Nott opened the door and returned, a marked diagram in hand.

 

“Okay, so this is where the cultists were-” Nott pointed out two small crosses drawn near the middle of the room, before pointing to five different circles scattered around the room. Two near the entrance, one by a pillar on the side, and two at the back. “These are the randos, and those are the hostages.”

 

Finally she pointed at two scraggly looking squares with a sad face drawn next to them, close by the two cultists. “They were tied up and everything. But they didn’t look dead or whatever, so that’s good?”

 

Everyone looked over the positions, aware that they could change at any moment. The time to strike was now. 

 

“So which idea are we going with?” Jester asked. 

 

“I liked all of them.” Molly said, tightening his grip on his scimitars. He’d have to reactivate them once they started fighting again, but it was a small price to pay to be rid of these people. 

 

“I think we should go with Caleb’s, to be honest.” Fjord said. “Has the most potential for the kind of chaos we need. But we need to be quick. Getting those hostages out of the way is the most important thing, alongside killing those cultists.” 

 

The plan was quickly explained to Nott - by a very proud Caleb, who was clearly chuffed that his idea had been the one selected, and everyone got ready. Materials were handed out and they got ready to storm the room. 

 

Marisol would probably be so pleased to hear that her gifts had come in handy, Molly thought distantly, moments before they opened the door to begin their final assault. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont mind me im still crying about episode 46 - seeing these guys here in this story, having not met Avantika and not gone through all the nonsense they've been doing in canon, it's really starting to mess with me like my god so much has happened
> 
> Anywayyyyyy one cultist down, only two to go! Huzzah!
> 
> (also i had yasha picking flowers at the start of last chapter and i hadn't finished episode 46 at that point and now i'm crying??? like ashley who gave you the RIGHT)


	41. Fuck Cultists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Molly jumps off a balcony.

When the actual assault began, it began quietly. The element of surprise was still one they hopefully had, and they wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. Everyone had a small handful of rocks (picked up from the crumbling walls and grounds around them) and clumps of food (salvaged from Marisol’s stocks) as well as a tube of the bug bite lotion, which had also been retrieved from the backpacks Marisol had given them. Finally, Jester had passed out the very last of her exploding beans, explaining that at this point she was mostly sure they only exploded when they hit something with a certain degree of force. 

 

Very flammable, Marisol had said about the bug bite lotion. Hopefully it would be enough. 

 

The tension could be cut with a knife as they snuck into the chamber, everyone ducking low to the ground and slowly moving their way across the balcony, splitting off to two sides to get as much spread as possible. Thank goodness the balcony stretched around the entire room. The fastest among them headed towards the back, while everyone else just settled in at more or less even positions. 

 

Molly couldn’t resist taking a peek through the aging stone railing, looking down. 

 

Nott’s diagram had been more or less spot on, their enemy not seeming aware of their presence. Yet. 

 

The two remaining hostages, Stio Strongwood and Tanna Kursk, were both tied up with rope and gagged like Rhonen had been, sweat running down their faces highlighted by the torches that lined the walls. Neither looked physically injured, so hopefully they could keep it that way. They were sitting on top of a rotten wooden table, cross-legged and back-to-back, one facing towards the entrance of the room and the other facing towards the back. 

 

A few feet away, Sly and the dragonborn was standing next to each other, and Molly clenched his fists together almost involuntarily, narrowing his eyes at the sight of them. The dragonborn was almost blocking his view of Sly, wearing what looked like heavy scale mail armour that seemed to shimmer lightly with enchantment, her huge double-bladed scimitar resting against the table, one hand on the hilt to be grabbed properly at any moment. It was harder to see what Sly was doing, but Molly could see his tail flicking back and forth on either side of the dragonborn, one foot tapping the ground incessantly. 

 

Perhaps they were waiting for their now-dead friend to return, victorious with the news that they had defeated the intruders. There was probably only so much longer he would wait. 

 

The other mercenaries were scattered around the room more or less where Nott had said they would be, leaning against the walls or pillars with arms folded or hands on weapons, looking bored. 

 

Molly looked away, taking the two exploding beans he’d been given and stuffing them into two separate chunks of bread, alongside about half a dozen sharp and pointy rocks that would hopefully act as shrapnel. Once he was confident it was secure, he opened the tube of lotion, squeezing it out over the two homemade bombs and absolutely lathering it. 

 

It was going to be an interesting plan to say the least. Caduceus had split up the small box of matches he used to light his tea set amongst the group, and the unofficial signal for the assault to really begin was whichever one of them started to light their matches first. 

 

It ended up being Molly. There was no way he wasn’t going to throw the first stone (literally) here. He scratched the match against the stone railing, the crackling of the tiny flame lighting up. As soon as they lit the lotion they’d have to throw it essentially immediately, given they had no idea exactly how flammable the lotion was, or how the exploding beans would react.

 

So Molly made one final glance towards Sly and the dragonborn, imagining his throw before he made it. The exact angle he’d have to make, the exact amount of force. After this surprise attack, there was no telling what would happen, so it had to be perfect. 

 

With one swift movement, Molly drew the match over both his makeshift bombs, nestled in one hand. 

 

The fire began to spread almost instantly, Molly seeing hints of the others doing the same from where they were spread around the balcony through cracks in the railing. 

 

He stood up, the movement catching the eye of at least one mercenary, who opened his mouth to say something. 

 

The fire was hot, beginning to scorch his hands, but Molly didn’t give it a chance to, dropping one of the bombs into his other hand, winding back and pelting them both towards the back of the dragonborn, throwing as much energy and rage into it as he could. 

 

A light whistling sound seemed to soar through the air, and Molly distantly hoped the exploding beans or the rocks also held inside the bread wouldn’t hurt the hostages. But it was a risk they had to take. 

 

At the same time, a dozen other makeshift bombs were thrown, all aimed at whichever mercenary or cultist had been closest to the thrower. For a moment, all those on the bottom of the meeting room had a second to look up, see the fireballs hurtling towards them, and realise what was happening.

 

Just enough time for Molly to see the beginnings of curses form on their lips before they were hit. 

 

Their aim wasn’t all perfect, of course. Not everyone got a direct hit. But they got close enough, and that was all that was needed. 

 

In the space of a few seconds, the room went from near dead-silence to an explosion of fire and sound. And that was just the opening act. 

 

He knew vaguely where the staircase that led down to the floor was. Yasha had offered to be closest to it, so that she could get down quickly to hopefully knock down anyone who the bombs didn’t get, while anyone else who got there secured the hostages. Molly was relatively far away.

 

But who needed stairs? 

 

Without so much as a second thought, he took a few steps back before running forward, leaping over the railing and soaring to the ground, tucking and rolling into a ball just before he hit. He was pretty sure the Knot sisters had tried to teach him that once, a last-ditch effort if an acrobatic move went awry to avoid injury while still appearing as if it was all part of the show. 

 

Apparently, he’d learnt it well. 

 

He saw Beau leaping over the railing as well, hitting against the wall and launching herself off of it to land in between the two mercenaries who had been standing at the back of the room, both of them blown against the wall by the bombs that had hit them. 

 

Molly had landed just on the other side of the long table the hostages were sitting on to where Sly and the dragonborn were standing, straightening up and activating his scimitars again as he did. 

 

Sly was still standing, the dragonborn having taken the brunt of the bombs Molly and a few of the others had thrown. But half his hair was singed, shrapnel having cut a long gash along his forehead, dripping blood over his eye and staining his clothes, jagged burns covering the left side of his body. He had a dagger in his left hand and what must have been the humans other hand-axe in the right, looking up and around frantically for the intruders while the dragonborn picked herself up from the ground. 

 

“Surprise.” Molly said, catching Sly’s attention and taking great pleasure in the look of shock, followed by deep disgust, that contorted his face. “Thought you’d seen the last of me?”

 

In the corner of his eye, he saw the two hostages frantically trying to inch away, the dwarf looking slightly battered by the outskirts of the explosion but not too badly injured, their movement hampered by the ropes around their bodies and ankles. 

 

Sly’s eyes darted towards them as well, a half-baked plan forming in his eyes. Oh no, none of that bullshit.

 

Molly jumped forward before Sly could even  _ try  _ to get to one of the hostages and threaten him, shouting out and leaping on top of the table, using the height to jump towards Sly, ready to cut him open from head to toe. 

 

“Lilo!” The tiefling scattered backwards, narrowing dodging Molly’s strikes and shouting again at the dragonborn, apparently named Lilo. A rather nice name, Molly thought to himself. Pity it was wasted on the likes of these assholes. 

 

There was a roar to the side and Molly felt the air move before he saw anything, dodging to the side as the huge scimitar crashed down where he would have been, the dragonborn finally up on her feet, albeit very battered. Her front actually didn’t look that injured, but there was a distinct smell of burnt flesh, reminding Molly of the smell the crab Nott had killed back on the beach of Nicodranas had made, after they’d cooked it to eat. 

 

Well this fighting was vaguely familiar. How had that ended? Oh right, with a dagger in his stomach. Speaking of…

 

“Hey Sly, do you want your dagger back? I think we might have left it on the ground in that temple.” 

 

“Oh, you want to stick it in my back?” Sly sneered, holding his dagger in front of his face and slicing it across his cheek, flames beginning to lick across the blade as the blood magic took hold. “Sometimes I wonder if you ever cared about us at all.”

 

Molly held up his scimitars in front of him, one pointed at Sly and the other at Lilo. 

 

“Lucien might’ve, once.” He said, smirking. 

 

Without warning, two flaming crossbow bolts - Nott must’ve gotten creative with whatever lotion she lad left - whizzed through the air, one embedding itself into Lilo’s back while the other narrowly flew past her face, landing harmlessly in the wall somewhere behind Molly. It must have been an area wounded by the bomb, as the dragonborn shouted out in a rage, turning half her head in the direction of the bolt, but Molly could see shadows on the balcony scurrying away, Nott already running to a new position, far too smart to let herself be seen, or perhaps a little nervous to get too close. This kind of setup was perfect for her, with almost infinite angles to shoot from and little chance of getting hit in return, and she was taking full advantage of it. 

 

Whatever the case, Molly took the opportunity the distraction afford him, ducking towards Sly and slicing upwards.

 

A hideous thundercrack split the air and lightning filled the room with flashes of light just as his blades made contact, Sly hissing out in pain as Molly raked his scimitars, one up the side of his chest and one cutting through the arm holding the flaming dagger, not enough to make him drop it, but enough to make it a lot more difficult to put enough power behind it. 

 

Brilliant purple-white light filled the room, making everything inside it clear as day for brief moments. Someone screamed, some else shouted in pain, a cry that quickly cut off with a strangled breath. Molly heard movements behind him, Jester shouting out reassurances to who must have been the hostages, undoing the ropes around their ankles and telling them to run, to get out of the way. 

 

It was chaotic, as all battles were. Molly could hardly tell where everyone was, could only see flashes of fire in the corner of his eyes from Caleb, only know Shakäste was there, probably sticking to the balcony with Caleb and Nott, from the rumbling thunder. Never saw Nott at all, the goblin sticking to the shadows and firing bolt after bolt with a shocking speed, some on fire and some not, not scoring the killing blow on anything but adding to the confusion as their enemies tried to find and kill these archers because there had to be at least a dozen of them, firing from all angles. 

 

He heard rather than saw Beau and Yasha, both of them taking on two mercenaries at once with the others providing assistance from the balcony or wherever they were. Fjord wove in and out of his field of vision, battling the final mercenary, falchion against mace. He had no idea where Caduceus was but he heard his voice, calling out spells and helping to guide the hostages to safety. 

 

He or Jester might be able to offer assistance with Sly and Lilo soon, but for now it was just Molly and occasionally Nott, who was probably using up every crossbow bolt she had, shooting at every enemy in sight with deadly precision, and Caleb, who was probably still up on the balcony as well, splitting his spells between everyone wherever he thought they were needed.

 

Molly was alright with that. 

 

Sly and Lilo both rushed forward to attack, eyes blazing with fury and adrenaline, an energy that Molly returned twofold. He darted backwards and to the side dodging under blades and kicking chairs into their path.

 

Sly darted forwards, a searing pain slicing through Molly’s shoulder as he tried and failed to dodge, Molly’s brain instantly mangling a curse, feeling an old, never quite healed wound at the back of his neck pulse with blood, Sly’s eyes turning an opaque black. Gods, blood magic was creepy. But fun.

 

The tiefling staggered back, weapons raised in front of his face, a manic grin stretching over his mouth as his blinded eyes stared at where Molly had been two seconds ago, deep pools as empty as Sly’s soul probably was. 

 

“You think blindness will stop me?” His voice bubbled with laughter, which was only slightly disturbing, considering all the things Molly had seen.

 

Lilo screeched with rage as Sly fell back, Molly instinctively jumping forwards and burying one of his scimitars into her shoulder, a horrific crunch sounding out as the blade snapped through bone.

 

The dragonborns eyes changed colour, just like they had done in the abandoned temple, and Molly cursed to himself as he remembered what happened last time. Blood magic was only fun when it wasn’t being turned against him. 

 

Lilo leered at him, raising her weapon up and striking down as Molly backed away, trying to figure out a way to hurt her without feeling the pain himself. The double-bladed scimitar smashed down on the ground, leaving cracks in the cobblestone and making Molly wince. 

 

“Guys!” He called out to no one in particular, jumping up onto the table and beginning to run past Lilo to try and get back to Sly, unsure of how long the blindness would last. 

 

He just bolted as fast as his legs would carry him, seeing the massive scimitar starting to swing towards his legs, ready to slice his feet off or trip him up or something equally likely to end his death, and he jumped, landing awkwardly on the old, uneven table, stumbling forwards and windmilling his arms and try and stop from completely faceplanting. 

 

He tries to do something cool and of course this is what happens. 

 

Grimacing as he regained his balance, he spun around in time to see Jester’s lollipop slam into the side of Lilo’s head, the second swing from the dragonborn fumbling, striking the table just in front of where Molly was. The wood splintered and the table began to collapse, forcing Molly to leap off, hitting the ground running and looking around for Sly as Jester’s rushed past him in a blur of translucent blue, slapping Lilo on the arm with a glowing hand, the dragonborn hissing in pain as she tried to wrench her weapon from the remains of the table. 

 

Sly had disappeared from where he’d been the last time Molly had seen him, having taken off sprinting down the side of the chamber, leaping around so nimbly the blindness had to have worn off, damnit. 

 

Molly glanced over his shoulder to see Jester and her duplicate joined by Fjord in fighting Lilo, the two of them tag-teaming like they’d planned for this all along, Fjord engaging her from the front while Jester pelted her with spells and her spiritual weapon from the back, the duplicate jumping around and disorientating the dragonborn.

 

Satisfied that she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon, Molly chased after Sly, heading towards the front of the meeting room. 

 

The tiefling seemed to head towards Yasha - just as the barbarian slashed a second mercenaries head so hard it nearly came off of his body, blood spraying across the walls and the corpse sliding to the ground to meet his also recently deceased friend - before veering off towards the thin staircase that went towards the balcony. Caduceus was there, the two hostages frantically climbing the stairs as quickly as they could, the firbolg standing at the bottom with his staff in front of him, clearly seeing Sly coming. 

 

A few arcane words later, and a total of five almost angelic, fey-like apparitions burst into light in front of Caduceus, just a few feet away from Sly, who must have been hoping for an easy fight. What a fool. 

 

Sly let out a screech of surprise as the spirit guardians descended upon him, Caduceus having waited just long enough before summoning them to ensure he wouldn’t have time to run. By the time he finally stumbled backwards, his entire body was covered with radiant burns, Caduceus holding his hands to maintain the spell as the two hostages retreated further towards safety. 

 

Molly jumped onto Sly’s back, knocking him to the ground with all his weight, his skull hitting the floor with a satisfying crack. Sly began to squirm, one arm caught beneath his body and Molly grabbing the other one and twisting, the hand-axe falling from his grip. 

 

“Did you kill Hamlin?” Sly choked out, his head pushed against the cracked stone floor, a twisted grin on his face. “We sent him up there- did you kill him? Or was it someone else?”

 

“I did.” Molly said. “He was surprised to see us.”

 

“H-he was weak. I always figured you’d kill him eventually, but then you died and so many left but he decided to stay-we were stuck with him.” Sly scoffed, strangled laughter bubbling in his throat. “Oh Lucien- that ritual really fucked you up, didn’t it?”

 

“I’m not Lucien.” Molly said, his voice cold. “That ritual killed him.”

 

“Nah. Nah. Someday you’ll figure it out-you’ll regret this, Lucien. You may have betrayed us, you may kill us all-” Some of his laughter escaped, a truly mad laughter that sent a shiver down Molly’s spine. “But you’ll always be one of us. You said it yourself before you did it. There’s no escaping the Tomb Takers, not after what we did. You’ll be here forever, Lucien.”

 

“My name is  _ Mollymauk Tealeaf _ , asshole.” Molly whispered. “And I’m part of the Mighty Nein.”

 

With that Molly took the hand that had wrenched Sly’s arm back, slipping his scimitar into a ready position before stabbing down into the tiefling’s heart, again in the back of the neck to make certain. 

 

There was a horrific, strangled, choking sound, Sly cackling in his dying moments, coughing up blood before finally falling still. 

 

Molly’s hands twitched, still holding holding the hilts of his scimitars, his knuckles five shades lighter than usual. Sly’s body looked unusual in the glow of Caduceus’ spirit guardians mixing with the torchlight, the blood draining from his body into a steadily growing pool, filling the cracks in the stone. 

 

“Are you alright?” Caduceus looked down at him, the spirit guardians shifting away to make a path so they could see each other without obstruction.

 

Slowly Molly pulled his scimitars out of the body, slick with blood. His shoulder screamed with pain, his arm hanging loosely but not entirely unusable, his other injuries seeping blood. 

 

He stood up, stepping over Sly’s body and glancing over his shoulder to see the battle almost won. Yasha assisting Jester and Fjord as they struck the final blows on Lilo, Caleb shooting firebolts from the balcony down onto the single mercenary Beau was still fighting. He glanced up, seeing Nott cutting through the remaining ropes and gags of the two hostages at the top of the staircase, Shakäste holding the lightning stick in his hands and asking them questions. 

 

Molly exhaled a long, shuddering breath, before finally giving Caduceus a thumbs up with his good hand. Yeah. He was alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wasssuuuppppp so this chapter is a little early, but it's nearly christmas for me and i just KNOW i'd forget to post this if I waited until tomorrow. So Merry Christmas suckers, u get this chapter early. 
> 
> Anyway so... yeah... the next and final chapter will be mostly a wrap up for everything, and it's gonna be a bit shorter than most of these chapters. This has been a wild ride, and I hope you all stick around to see it finally end.


	42. Canon? I Don't Know Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which one adventure comes to a close...

About two days later they were back on Nobili, sitting at an office sipping some kind of coconut juice that had been offered to them, nearly all of them still bloodstained and bruised. Any major injuries had already been healed by the clerics, leaving just small ones that were slowly healing on their own.

 

The three hostages, safe, unbound and unharmed despite having been within the cultist’s grasp for a few days, were very thankful. Apparently they’d overheard Sly and the other cultists discussing their plan, though they weren’t entirely sure what they’d been talking about. The magical artifacts that had been listed in the ransom note had all been ritualistic equipment, powerful enough for some of the strongest magic possible. Molly had a sinking feeling it had been a desperate, late-ditch attempt for immortality, ultimate power, or something of a similar description. Boy, had that gone well for them, all their bodies now nothing but decomposed flesh and bones, mushrooms and moss growing out of them.

 

Most of it were things the Triad wouldn’t even have access to, even if they  _ had  _ been willing to trade them away in return for the hostage’s lives. 

 

“Once again, we would like to thank you for your services.” Lorsta, the dreadlocks-wearing woman who had greeted them when they’d first arrived on Nobili, had turned out to be an official for the Hepatican government, specifically the Head Caretaker of Maxim. It was her who had sent on the ransom note to Trifolia Cove, asking for help in rescuing her kidnapped colleagues. 

 

“Not a problem. Though we hope our deal with the Captain of the Guard in Trifolia will be honoured.” Fjord said, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. They’d had time to rest (Caduceus finally getting a chance to buy some Hepatican tea) once they’d made it back to Tonner’s village, waiting for the boat to arrive to take them back to Nobili, and then again while on the boat, but it just wasn’t the same as a proper vacation. 

 

Molly just sipped his coconut juice contentedly. It had been a while since he’d felt this pleased with himself. Or this exhausted.

 

“Of course. All nine of you are officially friends of the Hepatica Islands, and the Triad as a whole as well. You are free to roam within our borders as you please.” Lorsta said, nodding. “The boat to take you back to Trifolia Cove should be ready, and we wish you safe travels.” 

 

“Cool.” They all began to shuffle out of the office, everyone more than happy to get moving again so they could officially close the door on this particular misadventure, as emotionally draining as it had been. 

 

Some Trifolian guards met them on the boat, not the same one they’d arrived to Nobili on, but more or less the same design. They regarded them with only a fraction more respect than they had before, but the Mighty Nein didn’t care.

 

“Hey, I think that’s the first time we got  _ un _ banned from a city.” Beau remarked as they began to sail away from the Hepatica Islands. 

 

“And the first time one of our plans went off without something going terribly, horribly wrong.” Caleb said, sitting with Frumpkin in his lap, stroking the purring cat. 

 

“Great. Let’s see how long that will last.” Nott asked, lying out on the deck of the ship with her arms splayed wide, basking in the sunlight and staying away from the edges of the boat. 

 

“Oh, don’t be so cynical Nott!” Jester said, lying down next to the goblin, her eyes closed. “We’re friends of the Triad now! Maybe they could help us get unbanned from Nicodranas!”

 

“Sorry Jes, but I wouldn’t count on that.” Fjord said, leaning against the railing of the boat. “We did fuck up a  _ lot  _ of things in Nicodranas, it would take more than rescuing three people to get them to forgive that.”

 

“Maybe fighting pirates will do it.” Molly suggested. “Pirates are more illegal than us, I think.”

 

“Yeah!” Jester brightened up immediately, launching into a long, mostly one-sided discussion about various ways they could get unbanned from Nicodranas, up to and including seducing the leader of the city-state (with about half the group being offered up as potential seducers). 

 

The Captain welcomed them back to Trifolia Cove as they arrived, a little bit warmer than she had been before but still quite direct, handing them a bag of gold and a paper that would get them past guards and sending them on their way with a final warning not to cause any more trouble. 

 

Marisol, Brylin and the others were relieved when they arrived unharmed and unarrested, with Zoie insisting they stay one final night to rest after their journey (even though they’d spent most of the boat rides resting) before they continued on to Port Damali. They accepted, because who said no to free food and comfortable beds?

 

The next morning brought up quick goodbyes, with Marisol, her cousins, her aunt, Brylin, Fatima, Steph and Aldon all showing up to bid them farewell. Molly still found it almost surreal how much they… not really looked up to them, but something similar to that. Respected them, perhaps. It made him feel a bit like the heroes in stories that mothers told to their children, of people who performed magnificent feats, travelling across the land and saving people wherever they go.

 

The Mighty Nein were far from the heroes in those stories, but it was a fun image to think about. 

 

The few days or so it took them to travel to Port Damali were calm and peaceful. They slept the nights safe piled within Caleb’s hut, chatting for hours on end during the day and bickering over who spent how much time resting inside the cart versus riding horses outside the cart.

 

They were all still broken people on a fundamental level, some far more than others. Molly was not naive enough to think that one conversation between them all, accompanied by dozens of smaller ones between individuals, was enough to erase the problems that they all had. But it was enough to ease a few, enough to ease some of the most obvious ones, and that was enough for now. It was progress. 

 

Someday he liked to think they’d all be able to say they were okay and actually one hundred percent mean it, but they weren’t there yet. Not by a long shot. 

 

Port Damali was massive, even bigger than Nicodranas and Trifolia Cove, and they started ribbing Fjord about it being his hometown almost immediately. Asking constant questions about people he knew, places he’d been, questions that didn’t die down until they got down to business, sussing out the docks and trying to locate the people they’d gone all this way to find in the first place, Cadmus Leyland and Sabien. 

 

Unfortunately, both of them were as slippery as ever, leaving them with very little to go on. Until one of the sailors they spoke to said something very interesting. 

 

“Eh, I heard Sabien had some business with Avantika. But she’s been hunting around the reefs for a while.” 

 

Their interest piqued, and remembering Marius and all he had said about Avantika and the strange crystal in Fjord’s sword, the group had gathered some more directions from the man before sending him off. 

 

“So, another adventure then?” Molly asked, almost giddy for excitement after nearly a week of rest. 

 

“If everyone’s in agreement.” Fjord said, looking around. They all nodded, flashing grins at each other and cracking jokes about becoming pirates themselves. “Alright. Avantika it is.”

 

“Excellent.” Shakäste said, clearing his throat. “Now we just need to find a boat.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SIKE IVE BEEN LEADING US TO THE PIRATE AU THE WHOLE TIME 
> 
> Nah jokes, I just like things leading into canon, and while Cadmus and Sabien may have been chilling in Port Damali like... a month ago... the M9 took their sweet ass time getting there, so they are long gone. Avantika though? She's gotta somehow deal with that temple with just her and her regular pirate crew, and she's not as 'just jump into the fight and see what happens lol' as the M9 so she's taking a bit longer to do her business. 
> 
> ANYWAY so there's that. now for me sobbing because this story is OVER
> 
> It feels like it's been a godsdamned year since I started this story, but really it's only been a few months??? Like??? Excuse me??? This AU has a whole has basically become a part of my life. All together, it is by far the longest fanfic I've ever finished and published and is also a healthy lesson in what the wonders of an outline can do. Always have a plan, folks. 
> 
> Anyway anyway, I wanna quickly thank everyone who's read this story, given a kudos or left a comment. Y'all are the real MVPs <3 super special shoutout to everyone who wrote a comment on practically every chapter, or even just every few chapters. You have no idea how much I looked forward to them and how much they inspired me to keep going. Bridge literally wouldn't have been written if I hadn't gotten so many amazing comments at the end of Note. 
> 
> Anyway anyway anyway, okay, this time I think I'm done. I can leave the AU to rest now. Probably. For now. We'll see. Who knows. I think I've mostly gotten over my grief about Molly. Mostly. Maybe I'll write more stories about my ACTUAL favourite character Beau lmao. 
> 
> But yeah. I love yall and thanks so much for reading and enjoying <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading y'all ^_^
> 
> Don't forget to check out my other stories if you haven't already. Besides the first story in this series Nothing But A Note, I've written one other fic for Critical Role, and fics for some other fandoms. Also, check out my tumblrs idonthaveanyurlideas (main blog) and burgundybutterflies (art blog). I have a kofi on my art blog if you want to throw some money at me because I do love me some money. 
> 
> Alright, my shameless self-promotion is complete. Thanks for checking in!


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